Lost in Time: Origins
by thelonemongrel
Summary: When a 21st century expedition into prehistory goes wrong, the herd finds themselves hunted and forced to embark on a dangerous journey - full of new friends and old enemies - in a race against time itself. T for violence and language. AU as of IA4's release.
1. Beginnings

**Hello everyone!**

**If you've read this chapter before and suddenly noticed its...different...its cos it is :P - since i've improved drastically from the early days (somehow practically **_**everything **_**about this story, from writing style to characters to plot has developed!) I've decided that you - the readers - deserve the very best story I can produce! To those who have read: fret not, the plot is still the same one you've read before...except completely rewritten.**

**As always, please read, review, comment, **_**anything**_**...well, anything except flame :P**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ice Age or its characters...everything else is mine!**

**Now, without further ado...**

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Frank leant back in his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling. He thought he could still hear the distant shouts of the protesters and reporters that had arrayed themselves outside of the security perimeter over the chaotic din of mechanics and engineers working within the hangar itself. He smiled sardonically; the past three years had been building up to this moment, but he didn't feel like celebrating. Every radio station, newspaper and television channel spoke out against him, and he had driven past a dozen churches packed to the rafters on his way from home. Everywhere he looked, he saw the same fear, the same dread;

The whole world thought the end was nigh, and he was the harbinger of that end.

He sighed deeply at the cruel irony of the situation he had found himself in.

He turned his attention back to the work going on the hangar floor below, hoping to turn his mind away from doom and gloom. His mind drifted ever further as he watched everything get packed up, preparing to leave for the launch site within the hour.

"How are you doing?"

Frank turned his chair towards the woman now standing in his office's doorway. She leant against the doorpost, smiling softly at him. He smiled back as he hauled himself out his chair, wrapping her in his arms.

"I'm ok," He fumbled. "It's just…it's an odd feeling to be completely hated."

Claire looked up at him with a slightly saddened expression.

"Ben and I still love you, and I'm sure Sam does; she is your sister, after all," She replied. "Which surely means you're not _completely_ hated." Frank smiled ruefully at her,

"I know," He whispered. "And I love you too," He looked her in the eyes and smiled. "I'm so glad you and Ben are coming with me."

"We are too, though it's going to be a little sad to leave here." Claire replied. Frank grunted,

"I take it you haven't seen today's papers then." He said dejectedly. Claire looked at him distantly,

"No," She admitted. "Can't say I have."

He walked across to his desk and picked up each newspaper, one by one, reading only their headlines. Claire winced; each headline was more vicious and angry than the last. Frank paused before reading out the last one, looking up at her with a pained expression. He remained silent, simply turning the paper around, enabling her to read it;

_Kill them before it's too late._

She slumped;

"I hadn't expected humanity's inhumanity to find such an open and avid expression." She murmured. Frank flung the paper onto the table and leant wearily leant against his desk. He rubbed his sore eyes for a moment, before turning to stare at the crowds beyond the entrance.

"This life has become a nightmare for us, Claire," He sighed. "There's nothing left for us here now."

"Soon we'll be twenty thousand years away from them," She stated as she straightened out. She suddenly smiled, stretching out her hand.

"Come on, Frank; we still have a few things to finish up before we leave for the launch site."

Before Frank could respond, the phone on his desk rang loudly. Startled, he none the less picked it up,

"Frank here, what is it," He stated, pausing as the reply came. He furrowed his brow. "What? How come?" He paused yet again. "I see. Ok, thank you." He placed the handset firmly on the receiver. Claire looked at him expectantly,

"What is it?" Claire asked? Frank looked at her, genuinely perplexed.

"Charlie and Nigel are on their way, but they're having to be _flown_ in by helicopter." He answered.

She looked at him incredulously,

"Flown in? But why?"

He hunched,

"Guess there's only one way to find out."

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The noise grew from a gentle, distant hum into a deafening roar as the helicopter came in to land. Frank, leaning against the sheer force of pressure the rotating blades blew towards him, could see Charlie quickly hop out of the aircraft, with Nigel following at a more leisurely pace.

"GOOD OF YOU TO JOIN US!" Frank bellowed against the near-overwhelming whine of the engines. Charlie grinned sheepishly.

"SORRY OLD CHAP!" He shouted back. "HAD SOME DISAGREEMENT WITH THE LOCALS; THEY BURNT OUT OUR CAR AND RIOTED."

To Frank's relief, the pilot switched off the engine. The absence of noise seemed almost deafening in itself.

"Was anyone hurt?" Frank asked.

"We don't know," Nigel interjected. "We we're evacuated whilst the riots were at their worst."

"Seems the only people who want this expedition to go ahead is us!" Charlie remarked.

Frank chose not to reply aloud.

_Some of us were forced to make it go ahead, _he replied mentally.

Frank smiled slightly,

"Well, now that you two are here, and not dead, we might finally be able to get this show on the road! Everyone else is in the main hangar, making final preparations."

Nigel nodded and gestured,

"Care to lead the way?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

They stepped down into a world of chaos. Frank paused, taking in the vista before him; mechanics moving so quickly they seemed to glide, the rest of the expedition arguing and debating the final list of things to take, the security guards standing a respectful distance, observing everything alertly. He sighed.

"Bet you never expected life to take a turn for this, Frank old boy." He muttered to himself.

"Dad!"

His feet were barely on the ground floor before his son flew into his arms, nearly toppling him back onto the stairs. Claire chuckled, sidestepping them.

_I'll be by your truck, _She mouthed silently as she walked away. Frank let out a laughing cough,

"Ben!" He managed. "How are you doing?"

"Great dad…" He trailed off. Frank could see a questioning look in his eyes.

"What is it Ben." He asked.

"Well…" The kid began. "If we're going to the Pli…the Ply…"

"Just call it the ice age, Ben." Frank cut in, smiling.

"Ok, the ice age…why are we taking all these trucks and guns? It looks more like we're going dinosaur hunting or something big than exploring ice fields."

Frank grinned. "Well, there won't be any dinos, that's for sure!" He said confidently. "But it's better to be safe than sorry – especially when you and your mum are going to be in the expedition," He looked Ben earnestly in the eyes. "I don't want anything to happen to either of you."

Ben smiled, "Thanks dad, I understand now."

_Glad someone understands something in all this, _Frank thought to himself. He checked his watch, grunting in surprise as he realised it was ten to eight already.

"Crap, we're running late," He muttered wearily. He looked down at his son, "Go join your mother in your truck, we're leaving for the launch site any minute now."

Frank let a flash of panicked anxiety creep across his face, suddenly realising what he had resisted truly pondering all day; the day that had completely absorbed the last three years of his life had arrived.

Ben looked at him intently,

"You're not looking forward to this, are you?"

Embarrassed, Frank immediately smiled,

"Of course I am," He lied. "I just remembered I needed to do something, that's all."

_Damnit, kids can be perceptive, _He noted mentally.

Ben smiled knowingly, as if he could see Frank's falsehood,

"It's ok dad, I'm a little scared too," He muttered. He walked off towards his designated truck, turning round just as he was disappearing from Frank's view, calling out. "See you on the other side!"

Frank chuckled to himself, taking dubious pride in the knowledge he had seemingly raised an emotional psychic. As he looked down, his amusement was cut short, quickly replaced by bewilderment, followed swiftly by anger as he stared dumbfounded at the array of newly added weaponry - including a very conspicuous rocket propelled grenade launcher - sitting in the bay of his truck. He let out an aggravated sigh,

"I really don't have time for this!" He growled.

He paced about, craning his neck to see if he could spot the man he knew to be the culprit, but he couldn't see his brother in law anywhere. As his efforts to spot him failed, his patience – already strained by the day itself – snapped entirely,

"TERRY!" He yelled.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Tag! You're it!"

Ronald's face visibly sank in dismay as the horrible realisation set in; he had just been caught by _Sid. _The entire playground burst into laughter, before suddenly realising that they now had to dodge someone who could actually _run._

Manny watched wide-eyed from the side of the playground as the mass of children broke into chaotic sprinting, turning the previously easy-to-watch game into a melee. Manny winced repeatedly, seeing the children toppled and crushed the various snow sculptures he had painstakingly made as they scrambled away, trying not to get caught.

"Be careful!" He shouted as they wreaked havoc. "Don't damage anything!"

Ellie, sitting beside her mate, watched the game with glee. She chuckled, placing her trunk on Manny's neck, gently squeezing.

"Come on, they're kids!" She said. "It's not like they're intentionally wrecking the place, they're just having fun!"

"Yeah, but I have to clean up after them!" Manny protested. She cocked her head, noting his barely concealed smile.

"Then why ya smiling?" She asked, smirking.

He paused, turning back to the game unravelling before them. She followed his line of sight, looking past the aardvarks scrambling up the tree to escape Ronald, and saw saw a little mammoth, laughing and giggling as she ran about the playground.

"You see that?" Manny said quietly. "Our daughter is having the time of her life...if a whole lotta mess can make her happy, then I'm all for it."

She looked over at her mate, smiling lovingly at him. She saw something in him that, even after all the years they had been together, still surprised her.

He was _happy._

She wrapped her trunk tightly around his, leaning in to him gently.

"You know, being a parent suits you," She whispered into his ear. "It shows that big, loveable heart of yours."

Manny's heart soared and sank at the same time; the words were a joy to him, but also reminded him of a great sorrow, one he had tried to move on from many, many times before. He looked intently at Peaches, now frolicking around the see saw. As he watched her, saw the joy in her eyes, he struggled to hold back the tears; for one brief moment, he could almost see the son he had lost at the hands of humans years before. With an urgency, he looked back at his mate, clutching her tightly.

"Do you know how much I love you?" He said. "How much I love both of you?"

Ellie looked at him with a smile, but her eyes conveyed a sense of concern.

"Of course I do, and we love you too, more than anything..." She said. "Are you ok?"

Thoughts flew through his mind, ideas of forcefully putting on a smile and pretending it was nothing, but those thoughts pained him too; the very notion of sweeping them aside, pretending they didn't mean anything to him was dishonest, and harsh of him. He took a deep breath, looking down at the floor.

"Yeah," He murmured. "It's just...when you said that, I remembered my son..."

Ellie looked nonplussed for a moment. Suddenly, her eyes widened, sorrow filling them.

"Oh Manny, I'm sorry." She said earnestly.

He shook his head,

"Don't be," He murmured, wrapping his trunk around hers, looking her in the eyes. "Knowing what I've lost helps me know what I have, and what I have is a beautiful daughter, the most loving mate I could ever have hoped for and a herd I trust with my life. Ellie..." He trailed off, a smile growing on his face. "...I didn't know I could be this happy after what the humans did to me. I actually thought I would never be happy again. But I now know, with all my heart, that I was wrong. I haven't been this happy in years, all thanks to you."

Ellie's heart soared within her, elation gripping her entirely. She had never dreamt of hearing those words, especially given her mate's past and his stubborn tendency to keep things internalised. Yet there he was, opening himself up to her, in the most unlikely of places. She couldn't stop grinning, so ecstatic she was to hear that. She looked at him longingly, opening her mouth to speak.

"TAG! YOU'RE IT!"

Surprised, both of them turned to look at who had just decided to disrupt their conversation by including Manny in the chaos they called a game. Peaches stood beside them, giggling wildly, a mischievous glint in her eyes,

"You're it, daddy!" She said.

Ellie and Manny both chuckled, sharing an amused glance.

"Well, if she wants me to..." He began. Ellie smiled,

"...Then you're all for it," She finished, "Have fun!"

Manny lurched onto his feet, running eagerly into the mass of children, now screaming with delight. He turned his head, looking back at her,

"Besides, I may as well make some of this mess!" He shouted back. "Gives me less reason to be grumpy later!"

Ellie laughed, watching the pandemonium that ensued as a ten ton mammoth charged around the playground, doing more damage than all of the children combined. She was laughing so hard, she didn't even see Sid waddle up to her. Wheezing heavily, he slumped onto one of her tusks,

"So...tired..." He wheezed.

"Sid, you were out there for fifteen minutes!" Ellie said. "And it wasn't like you ran _at all _during that time..."

"Hey!" He protested. "Running isn't a sloth's strong point!"

"Sloths have a strong point?" She said, feigning surprise. "What is it?"

Ellie suppressed her desire to laugh as Sid sat there, looking nonplussed.

"Well...erm..." He said, trailing slightly. "It's...erm...well I don't see _you_ running out there!"

She chuckled, pointing her trunk at the destroyed region that used to be a playground, gesturing towards Manny as he still charged around the place, trying to tag someone.

"_That_ would be why," She replied, grinning widely. "And you didn't answer my question."

Sid crossed his arms in a huff, staring ruefully at the floor. After a few moments, his head perked up, scanning his surroundings.

"Where's Diego?" He asked.

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Diego lay in the underbrush, careful not to make a sound as he spied a lone wildebeest grazing in the open plain ahead. In the distance, he could hear the screams of laughter from the playground, realising with a pang of regret that he was missing the chance to play with his niece...

_Focus, _Diego reprimanded himself.

He scanned his surroundings, noting the forest to the left of the wildebeest, the steeply inclined hill to its right and the shallow, narrow stream that lay between him and his prey. Diego smiled slightly; once upon a time he would have been afraid of the water.

_Thanks, Sid, _He thought, ruefully admitting the truth.

Realising his prey looked set to move on, Diego tensed his muscles, crouching low as he prepared to pounce on the creature. Suddenly, just before he leaped, a forceful, angry roar echoed through the air. Startled, the wildebeest flung himself into the forest, scrambling through the thickly set trees in a desperate attempt to survive.

Incensed, Diego waited for the owner of the roar to come into view with a mind to 'teach' them never to get between him and his prey _ever _again. But all such thoughts drifted out of his mind as the wind changed direction, bringing new scents for him to pick up on. His heart raced in panic as the strong scent of sabres filled his nostrils. He crouched even lower, intending now to gauge how many of them there were before warning the herd.

He remained forcibly motionless as a pack of dozens of sabres came into view, come to a halt atop the steep slope. One of the sabres turned, looking at the others harshly. Even without being able to see him clearly, Diego could tell from the body language that he was the Alpha of the pack.

"We wait here!" The sabre shouted.

The voice sent chills down Diego's spine; he knew the voice well, having heard it day after day for most of his life. Diego shook his head slightly, focussing his eyes intently on the sabre.

_It can't be, _he reasoned. _Manny killed him years ago!_

Deciding he needed to get a better view, Diego risked being spotted, lifting himself up slightly from the ground. His jaw hung slack; sure enough, the sabre had the same built, pelt colour and features he remembered. As he scanned him, he went cold; he even saw seven distinctly circular scars on the sabres left side.

Against all odds, Diego knew he was looking directly at Soto.

As he scanned Soto's pack, he could make out Zeke and Oscar amongst the numerous sabres waiting on top of the slope. To Diego's surprise, he even saw a cub standing sullenly at the back of the pack.

Once more, his attention was grabbed by something completely unexpected. Noises and voices, distant and ethereal, suddenly whispered on the wind. As silently as possibly, Diego scanned the area for any other animals nearby, only to grow disconcerted when he realised that the only animals in the area were him and the pack.

_What is going on he..._

His thought was cut mid sentence as his vision was filled with a flash of bright, blinding light. He blinked away the echoes just in time to see two massive..._things..._crash through the forest to his left, smashing trees out of their way, eventually skidding to a halt just feet away from Diego.

The sabre remained crouched, not out of a desire to remain undetected, but because he was stunned. He stared at the two seemingly mammoth sized objects, noting the absence of any fur, the spinning circular objects where its legs should be, the clear sheet of ice-like material where its head should be...

Diego's muscles tensed as he gazed through the clear sheet at the innards of the objects as he realised, somehow, that there were _people _inside. As he looked closer, panic rose within him.

"Humans." He muttered to himself.

Diego sighed bitterly; suddenly, in the space of just a few minutes, two of his greatest fears had just been realised.

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End of Chapter 1  
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**I hope you have liked the new and improved first chapter of Lost in Time: Origins! As always, please review :)**

**Thanks for reading! Till next chapter y'all!**


	2. When it Rains

Manny stood perfectly still, rooted to the ground in confusion as he stared at the sky. The manic chaos of the children rapidly died down. He looked over at Ellie, seeing the same look in her eyes.

"Did you just see that?" She exclaimed.

Manny nodded,

"Yeah, I saw it too." He murmured, still blinking away the retinal echo of the brief, yet brilliantly bright, flash of light.

Panic muttered rose as noises emanated from afar, sounds that sounded sudden, jarring and foreign to Manny's ears. The worried mutterings kept growing as the children and their various parents huddled together, unsure what was going on. Manny stared at the forest beyond, the hairs on his neck standing on edge.

"Somethings not right here." He murmured. He reached out his trunk, pulling Peaches closer to himself.

His fears seemed answered as Diego suddenly flew into view, sprinting as hard as he could. Manny glanced quickly over at Ellie, looking at her with a gaze studded with meaning;

_Take care of Peaches._

She nodded,

"We'll be fine," She said. "Go."

Manny lurched forward, speeding his way out of the playground, straight towards his friend.

"What's going on?" He asked urgently.

"Sabres!" Diego yelled, skidding to a stop as fast as he could.

The mammoth's eyes grew wide in fear as screams of terror erupted all around him. His eyes darted about, seeing the villagers scramble in every direction, tripping over each other in sheer determination to run the other direction. He snapped back, looking keenly at the sabre.

"How many?" He asked, not truly wanting to know.

"I saw at least twenty, but there could be more," Diego replied. "But there's something else...something I can't explain."

Manny didn't hear Diego beyond the mention of the number.

_Twenty, _he repeated to himself. _Oh no..._

All the chaos around him seemed to slow down into blurs as he looked past the fleeing villagers, staring fearfully at his daughter. He knew they would show no mercy, that they could outrun them.

The mammoth stood there, sensing his entire world was suddenly in peril. Moments passed, and the fear turned to anger and determination.

He glanced upwards, looking firmly at Ellie,

"Stay here with Peaches!" He shouted over the din.

Ellie's eyes widened briefly in realisation, before rapidly narrowing,

"You're not going out there!" She replied.

"If we can't fight them off, then at least we can buy the village some time to get away!" Manny stated.

Ellie blinked, taken aback. She looked down at their daughter for a moment, before looking back up.

"I'm coming with you." She said.

Manny gasped.

"What! No, you're not, and now isn't the time to argue!" He said forcefully.

"Then quit arguing!" She retorted.

Manny's heart skipped a beat in fear; fear for his mate, his child and the possibility that Ellie's decision could leave her as an orphan. His mind raced, trying to find an argument, any argument, to counter her desire to join him.

"But who would take care of Peaches?" He demanded, hoping that would be enough.

Ellie jerked her trunk, gesturing towards Sid and the possums,

"They can take care of her."

"I said take care of, not kill accidentally!" Manny spluttered.

She glared at him fiercely. The mammoth sighed; he knew he had lost the argument. He furrowed his brow, clearly showing his disapproval,

"Fine," He stated. He glared at Sid and the possums. "Take care of her well, or I will sit on all of you when I get back." As they nodded nervously, he glanced down at Diego. "Can you lead us to the spot?"

Diego nodded, breaking into a sprint,

"Follow me!"

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The time machine, a mass of metal and wires, loomed large in the open ground before him. Frank swallowed hard as he faced the fact that the moment he had fought against, even dreaded, had now arrived. Helicopters flew overhead, affording him a brief glimpse of men with machine guns inside them as they circled the site, serving as a reminder that very few in the world beyond would think twice about trying to kill them before they had the chance to launch.

In a way, he couldn't blame them; from their perspective, a few deaths is nothing if it meant preserving the timeline. Mulling over the thought, he turned to look at the perimeter in the distance, where he could see riot police holding back what looked like a sea of protestors. Frank let out a bitter sigh as he watched the rest of the expedition slowly hoist themselves into their respective vehicles. Desperate to find something else to turn his mind away from the task at hand, he looked up at the towers that made up Canary Wharf as they soared into the night sky, letting out yet another sigh as he stared at the tallest tower, knowing the control centre lay within it...

"Frank! Come on! We haven't got all day boss!"

He snapped out of his pensiveness, finally forcing himself to focus.

With that, he got into his truck, yanked his seatbelt as he did so and clasped it securely. He paused, taking one last glance at Claire before she got into her vehicle, both of them sharing an anxious, weary smile. Within moments she was gone, and Frank set to work. He reached up, flicking several switches that were built into the ceiling, picking up a radio earpiece and inserting it into his ear with his other hand.

"Beginning systems check," He said loudly, fiddling with the device. "Alpha truck, are you all set?"

"_Sam here. Terry, Charlie and Nigel are strapped in and everything's set. All systems nominal_." His sister's voice radioed back.

He smiled in relief, seeing multiple screens pop up as a heads up display across his windscreen, the safety checks telltales all showing up green, meaning one thing:

After three years of testing, retesting and preparation, they were ready.

"Beta truck, all set?" Frank asked.

"_We're ready here, Frank_." Claire replied.

Frank took a deep breath, a mangle of emotions welling up within him. He tapped several commands into the truck's central computer, connecting himself to the operations centre of the entire project.

_Here goes nothing. _He thought acridly.

"Control centre, this is Expedition One," He stated. "Do you copy?"

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The control centre was awash with controlled chaos. The cavernous room was filled with line after line of consoles, all oriented towards a wall made of glass that overlooked the launch site below. Dozens of technicians and specialists jostled their way through the maze of hundreds of reporters and their cameraman, all intent on being present for the first full scale time travel experiment. The mission director forced his way through the massed people, eventually reaching his own console.

_"Repeat, control centre, this is expedition one. Do you copy?" _Frank's voice echoed once morethrough the room.

"This is control centre," The mission director replied. "Reading you loud and clear Captain Howard."

The din of noise coming from the reporters silenced immediately, listening intently.

"Pre-launch checks have been completed on all vehicles. We are good to go." Frank's voice stated calmly.

The mission director grinned,

"Roger that, Expedition One!" He said. He turned around, staring at the technicians huddled over their consoles. "Status report!"

One by one, replies came from across the room.

"All energy sources for the surrounding area are ready to be diverted to the launch site. Power supply subroutines ready to be activated."

"Air force have confirmed that the no-fly zone is holding and the Army confirms that the perimeter is secure."

"Safety systems activated, all non-essential personnel have retreated to the minimum safe distance."

"System checks on the temporal circuits are nominal."

Dozens more replied, each answering in turn, every department head stating that they were ready.

The mission directly smiled slightly, pleased that nothing had gone awry as the eyes of all the world watched them.

"Alright," He said, turning slightly towards the banks of cameras. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to witness mankind's first leap through time, lead from beginning to finish by the United Nations, for the good of all, in the hopes of beginning of a new era of discovery and exploration that will be of benefit to our descendants as it is to ourselves."

He paused, letting the words sink into the hearts and minds of those present, and those he knew were watching. He took a deep breath; he had been so busy he had almost forgotten he was playing a part in something unique, unprecedented, _historic_.

A smile fixed firmly on his face, he turned back to the technicians, waiting eagerly for him to speak.

"Begin startup sequence."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank craned his neck to get a good look at the time machine as it whirred and whined into life, lights flickering on all over it as the massive hulking disc in its centre began to rotate, suddenly remembering what else was happening at the same time. He swerved in his seat, getting a good view of London, intent on seeing something truly unique. His jaw hung slack as every light in the city flickered and died save the control centre at the top of Canary Wharf.

Frank couldn't help but grin; the fact that he had developed a machine that required most of the capital's electric supply just to run amused him no end.

"_Well would ya look at that_," Terry's voice said in awe. "_Ain't never seen London like that before! You don't do anything by halves, do ya boss..."_

Frank's grin grew wider in glee. But before he could reply, the mission director's voice boomed loudly in his ear,

"_T minus fifteen seconds to launch_," He said. "_Good luck and godspeed to you all_."

Frank shifted in his seat, tightly gripping the steering wheel, staring intently at the mass of noise and light the machine was becoming.

"_T minus eight seconds, seven, six, five...wait, what the hell_?"

His heart leapt into his throat in panic, suddenly seeing red lights flicker across the heads up display.

The mission director's voice seared into his skull as he roared,

"_ABORT! ABORT! ABOR..."_

But it was too late. Before Frank could do anything, a flash of blindingly bright light surrounded him.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank's world had turned to a mess of blurs, pain and confusion. With the mission director's panicked words still ringing in his ears, he now found himself and the truck rolling uncontrollably, smashing into rocks and trees as it did so. Thrashed from side to side, hitting his head repeatedly against the steering wheel, ceiling and doorframe with each roll, he was barely conscious as the truck finally skidded to a halt. He let out a moan as every inch of his body started to ache intensely, reeling from the brutal shock it had just been given. He shook his head, attempting to refocus his eyes in order to survey his surroundings. Groggily, he moved each limb, checking himself for any serious injuries. One by one his limbs, aching and painful though they may be, responded. Satisfied that he was in one, pulpy piece, he turned his attention to _where _he was.

It took his addled and reeling senses over a minute to figure out that the ground appeared vertical from where he sat, eventually leading him to the realise that the truck was on it's left side, leaving him dangling in his chair, held there only by his seat-belt. He let out another groan, now tinged with confusion.

_Claire, Ben, Sam! _

The names popped into his mind, though the reason briefly eluded him as he sat blearily, hoping the pain would die down.

His eye's shot open, suddenly alert as he made the mental connection,

_Oh God, the others!_

Ignoring his body's protestations, he flung into full motion, trying desperately to unclasp his seat-belt. As he yanked and pulled at it, it slowly began to creak at the strain.

Before he knew what happened, the clasp ripped free of the chair and sent him hurtling through the cabin. He landed hard, hitting his head against the cold steel of the doorframe.

Frank descended into unconsciousness once more on a wave of unremitting agony.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Not far from the herd's village, the sun shone dimly through the ice that served as the sky for an underground valley, bathing the tropical flora and fauna that lay within it in a golden glow. He sat idly, glancing back and forth from his vantage point at the normal rhythms of life of that world, distinct from the ice and glaciers of the land above. Distant roars echoed faintly on the rock surrounded him as he observed a group of Pterodactyls swooping gracefully through the air, weaving through the intricate towers of stone that seemingly held their world's ceiling in its place. He sighed bitterly, turning his attention someplace else, only to find himself glancing downwards at his hands. He released his grip on his knife, placing it in the palms of both hands, studying it aimlessly. As he did so, he knew he wasn't seeing the sharpened tooth, the wood or even the vines he used to strap the two together, but bittersweet memories of a foe whose presence he had now sorely missed for longer than he cared to measure. He let out a rueful chuckle,

"Who'da thought you woulda missed 'im that much," He murmured aloud, smiling slightly. "Seems a bit silly! Ain't that right, Dieg..."

His heart sunk as he turned around, seeing nought but rock, covered sparsely with a spattering of plant life. He shrunk back in his spot, feeling taunted by the memories of one brief, happy time that felt like a lifetime ago. Glancing down sorrowfully, he felt the full, soul-crushing realisation he had faced every single day since. He turned back to the vista, noting its soaring beauty and magnificence and, as he often did since that time, finding himself not caring or feeling anything for the whole world before him in the slightest.

"You're alone, Bucko," He murmured to himself. "An' the only reason you're alone is 'cos you chose to stay 'ere."

As always, his mind rallied against him, listing all the reasons he opted to stay, all of them filtering down into one name: Rudy. He laughed bitterly, glancing briefly at his knife, now the only memento that proved that he had even existed; day after day he tried to find him after he disappeared, but he could find no trace. No tracks, no devastation, no body. He mulled it over, allowing anger that had lain suppressed in him to bubble up to the surface, squaring it directly at the missing dinosaur. He swept himself to his feet, waving his knife in anger at the 'sky'.

"WHERE THE BLOODY 'ELL ARE YA!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, hearing his voice resound dully through the space.

He paused, waiting for a roar, motion, _something _that suggested he wasn't alone, that Rudy was still out there somewhere. He listened, only to hear silence. He furrowed his brow, seething at the injustice of the only thing that gave his life a purpose no longer being there. He growled, his rage burning hotly within him.

"Well fine! I don't need you!" He yelled up at the sky, glancing at his knife fiercely. "An' you can 'ave yer bloody tooth back!"

He stretched his arm back, preparing to throw the knife as far as he could, but memories stirred in him that froze him where he stood; recollections of showing it off to an oddball group of up-worlders, how they showed admiration for him, even caring for him.

Even offering him a place in their family.

Tears welled up in his eyes, still looking out at the cavern before him.

"Why did I give that up for you?" He said mutedly, as if the object of his rantings were beside him, listening intently. "I could 'ave been 'appy, coulda 'ad a family...but I chose you..."

_Why? _He kept asking himself, never finding a good enough reason - or even a lame excuse - to answer it.

At that moment he wished they had never shown up in his world, never found him, never given him the chance of a new life with them; it was only because of them that he realised how empty his world - his life - really was. His arm, still poised to throw his knife away, fell slack beside him, his mind no longer dwelling on Rudy, but on what could have been. On what should have been. He sighed, finally turning around to see the reason he had even gone to that point. For years he had resisted returning, but now he stood before it, staring nostalgically at the cave he knew led to the up-world.

_Used to lead to the up-world, Bucko m'boy, _His mind corrected acridly. _You broke that bridge the last time, rememba?_

"I can still get over there," He argued aloud, not caring that he was disputing with himself. "Afta all, what problem's a little chasm gonna be compared to everythin' else down 'ere?"

_The chasm ain't the problem; you left the 'erd fer Rudy, _his mind replied. _Wot makes yer think they'll just welcome ya back like nothin' 'appened?_

"Well...erm..." He murmured, startled by the query. "...shut up! There ain't any 'arm in tryin'!"

_A' well...your funeral, I s'pose..._

He glanced up as far as he could in annoyance in an attempt to glare at his own head. Failing that, he opted for pointing his knife at his skull,

"Don't make me come up there!" He muttered.

_I'm yer brain; whotcha gonna do, stab me?_

"Well...er...just shut up!" He said in exasperation, only just pondering the oddity of arguing - _genuinely arguing - _with himself.

_Oooh, good comeback. Wot's yer next argument gonna be? Insult my intelligence per'aps? Or maybe my mum?_

Buck was at a loss, stupefied by how he could be losing an argument with his own mind. He heaved a sigh in dismay,

"Please shut up? I'm 'avin' a bad day as it is," He grumbled. "An' I don't need you making it worse!"

He paused again, expecting some form of retort from his mind. After a few moments of mental silence, he smiled and started walking into the cave, suddenly excited at the prospect of leaving the down under - and his past - behind him. As the inner voice remained silent, he smiled all the more,

"Buck, one, brain, zero!" He said chirpily.

_I 'eard that._

His smile grew all the wider.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Manny stared out at the clearing, now devoid of any sabres; in fact, to his eyes, it seemed devoid of any life whatsoever. Though his sense of smell was less keen than Diego's, even he could pick up on the unmistakable scent of sabres. Logically, he knew he should be at ease, but he remained tense, staring with unease at the two objects before him, shivers running down his spine as he knew he had never seen anything like them before.

"You didn't mention _those, _Diego." He muttered loudly.

Diego looked up, cocking his head in surprise.

"Yes, I did," He replied firmly. He leapt over the stream that separated them from the clearing, sniffing and scanning avidly. "They haven't been gone long," He stated. "Maybe five minutes or so."

"Do you know where they went?" Manny asked absently, his eyes still surveying the foreign objects.

"They went west," Diego replied. "But they're still nearby; their scent's carrying on the wind. Maybe half a mile away, give or take a few hundred yards."

Manny nodded slightly in relief. He knew they were outside of earshot and, provided the wind didn't change, were unlikely to be facing them anytime soon.

_They're still too close, _He noted. He wanted to discuss plans about what to do next with both Diego and Ellie, but when he opened his mouth something entirely different came out,

"What _are _they?" He quizzed, pointing his trunk at the objects.

Diego glanced briefly at them, shrugging,

"Those are the 'something else' I mentioned," He said. "They appeared from nowhere, seemingly out of nothing but a bright..."

"...flash of light." Manny finished. He now knew the answer behind the surreal blast of light, but it didn't settle him; instead, he now found himself faced with more questions. Mentally, he brushed the queries aside, deciding to take a good look at the items before him. Cautiously, he edged himself closer.

Immediately, he saw that the two things were different; whilst the smaller one was roughly his length, the other was almost twice as long. He saw that the legs were entirely absent, replaced with circular black discs that had a silver inlay in the centre of them. He moved slowly, paying attention to the larger of the two. Deep down, he knew he was looking at something unnatural; the body of both things were sharp, angular and - to Manny - more reminiscent of rocks and glaciers than living things. He noticed that the body, whilst crumpled and damaged, suggested that it was once one smooth and intact surface, save for holes in it that were filled with sheets of material he had never seen before, but strongly resembled perfectly transparent frozen ice. He saw a section of the exterior open and ajar, and he peered into the thing. Almost immediately he retracted, stifling the cough that wanted to erupt out of him as he inhaled the smoke and fumes that filled the thing's innards.

_"Help! Auntie Sam, Uncle Terry, ANYONE, if you're out there, please help!"_

Manny snapped around, his attention suddenly fixed on the smaller of the two objects. He shared a nervous glance with Ellie and Diego before slowly, ambivalently, kneeling down to inspect the thing's inside.

As soon as he got a look in, he staggered to his feet rapidly, stepping back in a mix of shock and horror.

"What is it?" Ellie asked anxiously.

Manny didn't reply immediately, suddenly faced with all the fears he had hidden deep down for many years. Panic, anger, fear erupted in him as he knew his one, greatest terror had wound up within less than a mile of his daughter.

"There's..." He started, but couldn't finish the sentence. He looked up at Ellie fearfully, now worrying for her safety. "There's..._humans..._in there..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Buck stared down, trying to gauge the depths of the precipice that now formed the barrier between his world and the world above. He gazed at the swirling, ominous mists deep below, before scanning his surrounding environs, seeing - to his dismay - that only one vine rope remained of the bridge, hanging limply over the middle of the abyss.

"Bugger." He murmured to himself. He searched the cave, hoping to find a log or vine - anything - that could help him bridge the gap.

_What good would that do? _ His mind asked acerbically. _Even if ya cross this gap, you 'ave no reason ta expect they'll just welcome ya back._

_"_They offered me a place in their 'erd once," Buck retorted. "An' they don't seem the likes ta retract an offer!"

_'ow could you possibly know that? You were with 'em for a day, Bucko m'boy._

He heaved an aggravated sigh,

"Look, just shut up or I swear on my motha's grave I will bash me noggin in till you can't speak!"

_You're an idiot._

"Well look 'oo's talkin'!" He retorted angrily, turning his attention forcefully back to his searching.

With or without his cynical side's approval, he was determined to cross over into the frozen world above him.

He froze, suddenly hearing the cave's ceiling start cracking above him. He glanced up briefly, his features turning from confusion into panic.

He had barely broken out into a run when the ceiling started crashing down, missing him by inches.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The pain was all consuming as he flittered back into consciousness. Assaulted by agonies coming from every part of his body, Frank gasped, trying to cope with the surge of nausea that swept over him. Black spots danced across his vision as his eyes struggled to refocus. He remained still, trying not to push himself as he struggled against the desire to vomit, pain coursing through him like a surge. After what felt like an eternity, the pain began to die down into a dull ache and his vision slowly returned to him. With every blink, the black dots began to disappear, the blurred mass of colours before him gaining more detail.

Blearily, he could make out the same copses of trees, rock outcroppings and seemingly endless reams of ice and snow, framed by a vividly blue sky...

It was then that he saw a figure, seemingly busy before him.

He rubbed his eyes, looking gormlessly at the figure. Slowly, but surely, his heart started beating faster in alarm. He studied the black cloak, concealing the figure's face and body from view. As his eyes locked onto his swinging arm, he cocked his head in confusion;

the figure was swinging a pickaxe fiercely into the ice.

Like distant thunder, the ground beneath the truck began to rumble angrily. Suddenly, cracks began to form, seemingly travelling in a circle around the truck, emanating from the point the figure had been hacking at. He gulped,

_Oh crap._

Frank knew he couldn't get out of the truck in his condition, much less tackle the figure head on. His only option was to prepare himself. With that in mind, he swung into action, clambering up onto the seat above him, furiously trying to secure himself with its belt in anticipation of what was coming next. The ice began actively crumbling around the truck just as he slammed the clasps together, locking it firmly. Frank gripped his seat tightly, glaring out at the figure before him. Anger flared in him as the figure straightened out, mockingly waving at him.

Before Frank could scream any number of obscenities at the figure, the ice caved in.

Once more, Frank's world consisted solely of spinning, blurs and confusion.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Buck ran as hard as he could, screaming in terror as the boulder-like object hurtled towards him. His legs and joints groaned under the pressure as he sprinted, desperately trying to outpace his demise. He looked up, seeing the mouth of the cave grow nearer, spying a hanging leaf drooping within reach. Without looking back, he hurled himself at the foliage, barely finding his grip as the object hurtled past him, spinning so forcefully that it rolled off the edge of the outcropping, crashing into the trees beyond. Buck clung to the leaf for dear life, hearing the object break through the trees' many layers, each thud less pronounced then the last, until he heard a dull clang he knew meant that the object had finally hit the floor.

Buck still held his leaf, breathing heavily as adrenaline course through him, utterly bewildered by what had happened. Giving himself a few moments for his heart to stop racing, he lowered himself gently to the ground, running to the edge of the outcrop to stare at the ground below.

Buck had no clue of what to make of the object, but it was not the object itself that intrigued him; one of the sides of the object was opened, and a _human _now law sprawled in the dust.

_Well,_ His mind stated. _Thats...different._

He looked keenly at the human, more out of curiosity than fear,

"Couldn't agree with ya more." He murmured.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-  
End of Chapter 2  
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Thanks for reading! As always, please read and review!**


	3. Panic

Manny remained still as Diego and Ellie surged into action, trying to find a way into the object that held the humans. They scoured the thing, looking for any discernible way to gain entry. Diego, exasperated at their failing, glanced up at the mammoth, still motionless, with confusion and annoyance,

"What are you doing, Manny?" He quizzed. "We have to help them!"

His heart surged with fear and anxiety. He pictured the humans they were about to help returning one day with a whole tribe armed with spears, cornering himself and Diego as they forced Ellie and Peaches to the base of a cliff, sending signals to their compatriots at the top, already armed with rocks, in a bid to...

"NO!" He shouted, both at Diego's statement and the thoughts running through his head.

Diego and Ellie both straightened out, looking at him with horror. He shook his head, fighting back the tears, trying desperately to maintain his composure.

"What!" Ellie spluttered. "How could you say that! They're in trouble!"

"They are humans!" Manny replied, fearful urgency filling his words. "As soon as we help them and send them on their way, they will hunt us down!" Against his best efforts, his eyes welled up as he looked at Ellie. "And you know they will hunt us down."

"We don't know that for sure!" Diego retorted.

Manny furrowed his brow, looking fiercely at the sabre.

"Do you remember the last time we helped a human?" He quizzed rhetorically. "Even in _winter _they sent a scouting party to hunt for little Pinky. What do you think they'll do now when it's spring and the snow's gone from Glacier pass?"

Both his friend and his mate remained silent, their expressions hardening at the same time as they deflated. Manny grunted, knowing his point had been made, but continued all the same,

"If we help these humans, we will have a full hunting party coming after us within _days _of letting them go_,"_ Manny said bluntly. "It's too risky."

Ellie snorted,

"Since when did you not help someone just because it was 'too risky'?" She replied scathingly. "Even when I was pregnant, you went and fought dinosaurs to save Sid. You risked drowning in the Flood years ago! Just because its risky doesn't mean we shouldn't help!"

"HUMANS KILLED MY LAST FAMILY!" Manny exploded, his voice dripping with pain and anger. His voice echoed off of the nearby cliffs, as if ramming home the point. Both Diego and Ellie visibly deflated, all of their hostility draining from them. Manny took several deep breaths, unable to stop a lone tear damping his fur under his left eye.

"They killed them," He repeated again, mutedly. "And I'm scared to death that these humans," He pointed jaggedly at the object with his trunk. "...will just do the same thing again. Please," He pleaded. "Don't make me do this...I don't want to have another family to mourn."

He closed his eyes, overcome by the emotions that he had let out of the depths of his memory. He was so lost in his own thoughts he didn't hear or perceive anything beyond himself. Suddenly, he felt the something gently caressing the side of his neck. He snapped his eyes open, finding himself gazing deeply into his mate's eyes. He didn't see anger, or annoyance in depths of her eyes, only love and compassion.

"Manny," Ellie said softly. "I know this is painful for you, and I know what their species has done to you...but _these_ people are not _those_ people."

"You can't be sure..." He replied feebly, his voice barely a whisper.

Ellie sighed, but Manny knew her well enough to know it was not out of irritation. He tried to look down, but found himself transfixed by her eyes; the love he saw in them held his gaze.

"Do you know what I love about this herd?" She whispered. He remained silent, knowing she didn't expect an answer.

"It's the way that it takes _anybody _in. We have a sabre, a sloth, possums, a distant weasel and our little group of mammoths in this family. It's in our nature to help _despite_ the risk. It's in _your _nature to help, whether you see it or not. You're the one who came to save me when I was about to drown, and it was you who went after Sid into a world full of danger...but if we don't help these people, then all of that changes...I'm not sure how many of us would still be alive if we worried about the risk first..."

"But..." Manny murmured. "...but what if these humans do bring back other humans and kill us?"

Ellie gave a smile that didn't reach her eyes, which were still full of love, sorrow and conviction.

"I doubt it'll come to that," She said. "But if it did, then at least we die as ourselves, as the herd who helps, regardless of the risk."

Manny's mind cast back to all his experiences with the herd, realising the truth in the sentiment that they had all come to be together because of times he - and the others - had put themselves in harms way for animals they barely knew; with Sid and Diego at Half Peak, saving Ellie in the Meltdown Valley, facing off against Rudy to save Sid...

As he pondered those memories, he knew that she was right; if they hadn't helped because of the risk, then most, if not all, of the herd would already have been dead.

The last thought sent Manny cold. In that moment, he could sense his opinion changing in spite of himself,

"Alright," He said quietly. "Lets help these humans."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Even with dirt very firmly beneath his hands, Frank's world still spun uncontrollably, his sense of balance thrown completely askew by the vicious tumble he had just endured. He retched, vomiting into the dust beneath him. He sensed his arms shaking violently, on the verge of collapsing. The thought of being reunited with his dinner didn't appeal to him. With what little energy he had left, he forced himself backwards, landing firmly on his back.

As he lay there, panting heavily, waiting for his vision to return, he shifted his attention to his other addled senses: the air was warm and moist, the distant sounds or roaring filled his ears and, even in the mere minutes he had lain there he was already breaking out into a sweat.

It took his battered brain several more minutes to realise the oddness of those little facts about his area.

_Where's the ice? Why are you sweating? Why haven't you frozen yet? _His mind raced, yet he sensed that part of the picture was missing. He lay still, gazing upwards with unfocussed eyes, trying to recall what he was doing.

As he swept aside the angry protestations of pain from his body, he concentrated; he recalled the trucks, the launch, something going wrong...

His eyes snapped wide open in horror,

_The others!_

He lurched to his feet, ignoring the nausea and strain on his aching body, shuffling his way towards the truck. As his sight improved, he could tell that the vehicle was beyond movement or repair; a contorted mass of twisted steel and rubber, leaking fluids wildly, sat where the bonnet and engine should be. He turned slightly, inspecting the rest of the truck: shattered windshield, severely dented cabin, the covered rear looking like an elephant had sat on it. As he peered closer, he could see the weapon stores through the shattered plastic coverings. He grunted, a part of his belatedly registering that the fact he had survived at all, let alone _intact, _was a miracle. His only response to such a thought was to shrug.

Frank eased himself into the cabin, careful not to injure himself on the sheared edges and ragged shards of steel and glass that stood in his way, purposefully grabbing both the radio earpiece he had discarded and placed in the glove compartment, and a pistol.

"This is Frank Howard, does anybody read me, over." He said loudly as he forced the earpiece on, pausing for any reply.

He heard nothing but static.

"Claire, Ben?" He stated. "Sam? Terry? Nigel? Charlie?"

He heard yet more static in response.

"Is _anybody _there?" He shouted. "Where the hell are-"

As his surroundings came into full focus, he fell silent. He scanned the large palm trees, the ferns and flora and fauna, the myriads of vines with a sense of bewilderment.

He hadn't expected the ice age to be so..._tropical._

He jumped back slightly as a roar echoed off the cliff walls behind him, sending dozens of startled birds into the air from the woods in front of him. He craned his neck, watching the birds as they flew.

As soon as they extended their wings, he knew he wasn't looking at birds...

"But..." He murmured in shock. "That's...not possible..."

He knew them from countless films, from reading stories to Ben when he was young, from many pictures. He blinked and shook his head as he eased himself out of the ruined truck, gazing back to see if he was merely seeing things, but he wasn't; he stared in awe as a flock of Pterodactyls swerved and swooped in the air above him, flying up higher in the sky...

Frank's jaw hung utterly slack as he stared up at the ice that covered the 'sky'.

"That's...not...possible." He said to himself once more.

"Blimey...a 'uman that can talk! An' I thought I'd seen everythin'! I'm gonna guess that you're not from around 'ere..."

Frank swerved round, drawing his pistol out of his holster.

"Who said that?" He asked firmly, readying his weapon to fire if necessary.

"Up 'ere, mate!"

He jerked his head upwards, suddenly staring at a weasel waving at him. He noted the eyepatch, knife fashioned from a large tooth, and the amused smile.

His mind raced, rapidly trying to determine whether he was hallucinating. Instinctively, he trained the gun on the weasel; he wanted answers.

_Where am I? Where is the rest of my expedition? Were you the one who sent me through the ice? _

_"_How are you talking?" He spluttered, wincing internally at his dumb choice of question.

The weasel chuckled,

"I could ask the same question of you, mate," He replied. "Afta all, everybody knows 'umans can't talk!"

"Huh?" Frank mustered.

The weasel laughed to himself, turning his gaze to his knife as if to study it.

"You're definitely not from 'ere," He muttered. "An' not too bright if ya think that stick is much of a weapon!"

Frank's eyes narrowed slightly. He lowered his aim, made sure it wouldn't hit the animal, and fired.

The noise was deafening, echoing fiercely off of the walls and ceiling far above, sending dozens of winged creatures hurtling into the air in surprise. The bark, barely a meter below the weasel, shattered apart as the bullet struck it. The weasel jumped up in surprise.

"Bloody 'ell!" He exclaimed. "'ow did you do that?"

Frank lowered his pistol, looking keenly at the weasel. He didn't strike him as a threat - unusual, yes, but not a threat.

Curiosity replaced his fear.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"The name's Buckminster!" The weasel replied. "But almost everyone calls me Buck. What's yours?"

"Frank."

Buck smiled,

"Welcome to my world, Frank!" He said enthusiastically. "Now wot are you doin' 'ere?"

Frank looked around slowly, taking in his surroundings.

"Good question." He murmured.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The palpable relief of the villagers at seeing Manny, Diego and Ellie returned quickly dissipated as they saw the passengers on the mammoths backs. Silence greeted them as they weaved their way through the village, headed intently for their cave at the top of the hill. As he passed them, Manny's skin crawled under his fur, sensing in their silent staring the questions, critiques and fears they all had of humans...

Especially of bringing humans back into the village, no matter how hurt.

"Why have you brought them here?"

Manny's head snapped around, looking at the villagers faces for the first time since he returned. Amongst the sea of shocked, fearful and angry faces, stood an aardvark glaring at him with annoyance. The mammoth assumed he was the one who spoke and fixed his stare on him.

"They were hurt," He replied. "We're helping them."

"But they're humans!" The aardvark spluttered. "They're dangerous!"

Diego spun round, moving closely to the animal,

"Why? Because they're predators?" He asked, showing more of his teeth as he did so. "You've put up with me for the last two years..."

"Y-yes, b-but you're different!" The aardvark stammered falteringly. "W-we know you..."

Manny stood still, watching as the crowds melted away from the ant-eater, as if to leave him to his fate. He gently placed a trunk on his friend's shoulders, feeling him tense up in anger. Diego glanced back at him, calmed down slightly, and turned back to the lone animal.

"There was a time when I would have hunted and eaten you," Diego said calmly. "But, as you can probably see, you're not between my jaws...and if a sabre can change, so can a human."

"And besides," Manny chipped in. "If they aren't friendly, then they have two mammoths and a sabre to get through first!"

"But what if their tribe comes looking for them?" Someone shouted from the crowd.

"If you're really that worried, then you can find somewhere else to go!" Manny snapped, his tone harsher than he intended it to be.

He thought briefly of apologising, determined he would mess it up, and opted for silence as he continued walking. Even before they were out of earshot, he could hear the panicked whispering and chatter quickly surging up behind him. He cast a concerned look down at Diego, now walking beside him.

"You ok, buddy?" He asked quietly.

The sabre glanced up briefly, conveying a look of sheer annoyance, before fixing his stare straight ahead of him.

"Yeah," He murmured. "Just bugs me, thats all."

Manny nodded,

"They do have a point though," He studiously ignored the harsh stare falling on him from Ellie. "These humans could mean trouble..."

"Or they could be allies," Diego interrupted. "And what bugs me is that they don't see that possibility."

Ellie's lips creased upwards in a slight smile,

"Maybe they think it's...too risky?" She said suggestively.

Manny snorted,

"I'm still not convinced that this is the right thing to do." He retorted.

"And yet you're carrying one of them on your back," Diego replied, smiling. "Seems to me your actions have made your mind up for you."

The mammoth was so deep in thought - pondering ethics, goodness and right action - he very nearly fell into the stream that trickled through their little patch of the valley. Snapping out of his reverie, he looked up the hill, squinting in the midday sunlight to make out their home. At the mouth of their cave he could make out Sid, the possums and Peaches. Only Peaches wasn't frozen in shock.

"What," Manny stated. "You haven't seen a human before?"

They answered him with stunned silence.

"How about, instead of gawking like frozen statues, you go look for large leaves we can use as bandages?" He snapped.

"But Manny..." Sid mustered.

"I'm sorry," Manny interrupted sarcastically. "I must have gotten you all confused, since you seem to think i was merely _asking."_

Sid huffed, looking for a brief moment like he was going to argue his currently un-made point,

"Well, aren't you a little ray of sunshine today!"

Embarrassed by his meagre retort, Sid quickly extricated himself, waddling down the hill towards the woods, murmuring angrily under his breath. Ellie and Diego both watched the sloth leave. As soon as Sid was out of sight, Manny found himself being pierced by Ellie's now-icy stare,

"You didn't have to be so harsh on him." She stated.

Manny sighed,

"But he was going to argu-" He cut himself off as he saw Ellie's gaze hardening. He sighed again, "Alright," He murmured finally. "I'll apologise later..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

With Buck's help, Frank had managed to extricate most of the items wedged deep within the tangle of metal that was once his truck.

On seeing it all arrayed out on the floor, noting the radios, rifles, ropes, carabiners, scanners, video cameras, sensors and computers amongst the myriads of other items, he came to one, overwhelming thought -

"Most of this is unsalvageable." He concluded as he knelt down beside the mass of objects, studied a smashed atmospheric sensor, and tossed it away gingerly.

Buck, stepping through the strewn mess, whistled,

"Blimey! This is a lotta stuff fer one 'uman!"

"I wasn't the only one," Frank corrected. "There are seven of us."

The weasel stood still, glancing back with interest at the truck, shivering, and turning back to the human.

"I 'ope they weren't in there with ya?" He said tentatively, jerking his thumb at the wreck.

Frank shook his head,

"No, they were in two other vehicles: one just like that one, and another - larger - truck."

"Where are they?"

"I..." Frank trailed off. The realisation struck him with a force akin to a blow on the head; he didn't have a clue where to begin, where to go, whether he would ever be re-united with his family and the rest of the expedition.

"I don't know..." He mussitated. "I hope, wherever they are, that they are safe."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Terry hunkered down beside a hastily made fire, scanning his new surroundings anxiously. The sabres who had taken them in - reached an agreement with, he quickly corrected - went about what appeared to be their daily routine, paying the humans little heed. Yet even as he looked around, he could see at least two sabres, silently standing or sitting about two dozen yards away, whose eyes remained fixed on them. On him.

He sighed as he pretended to be checking his rifle. He turned ever so slightly towards a human beside him - male, tall, just as heavily armed as him - and shook his head.

"There ain't no way we can fight our way out if they decide this deal ain't good for 'em." He murmured quietly.

The human shook his head slightly in disapproval,

"With respects, sir, but why did you even make this deal?" He grunted.

Terry let out a sigh. Nodding as if satisfied with his feigned check, he slung the rifle over his shoulder, allowing his gaze to fall on the person swaddled in several blankets by their little fire. He shuddered as he gazed at the shut eyes, motionless body...

It hurt - physically _hurt _- to see his wife in such a battered state.

"What would you have done, Charlie?" He replied, his eyes still fixed on his wife. "You know they outnumber us. If we didn't do something we'd all be dead."

"I understand that, sir," Charlie said quietly. "But Claire, Ben...we just left them behind."

Terry grimaced. He hated himself for that decision, but he knew he had no choice,

"I know it ain't right, Charlie," He murmured. "But if I insisted, we'd _all _be dead..."

He trailed off, knowing full well he didn't truly agree with his own sentiment.

_We should have tried. We should have given 'em a bloody nose. It ain't right, what you did._

"Best we can hope now is that someone else found them," He continued, voicing none of his inner battles. "Or that they're doing ok on their own."

They sat in silence, staring blankly at the fire's burning embers. Silently, another human sidled up beside them and sat down, rubbing his tired eyes with his weary hands.

"How's she holding up, doc?" Terry quizzed.

The doctor let his hands go limp and fall to his lap.

"She's stable," He mustered. "At least she is for now...without a medkit I can't do anything other than make sure she's comfortable."

"What's wrong with her, Nigel?" Charlie asked.

"She has a concussion and hypothermia _at least,_" The doctor answered. "She doesn't have any broken bones, and no lacerations...but I can't be certain without even a medkit."

Terry opened his mouth to answer, before being cut off as a sabre swept through their little niche of a camp, very nearly knocking Nigel off of his perch.

"Soto! Soto!" The sabre shouted.

Within seconds, a sabre - the one Terry had talked with earlier that day - seemed to appear from the shadows, his face contorted into a scowl.

"This had better be important, Zeke." He growled.

"Oh it is! It is!" Zeke said, jumping wildly - almost maniacally, Terry noted. He snapped out of his thoughts, paying close attention to the sabre called Zeke.

"Diego and his mammoth friends have brought _humans _to their little camp!" He almost shrieked with joy. "I always wanted to taste human meat!"

Terry's skin crawled, appreciating for the first time how _tasty _they must look to the carnivores surrounding him. His skin crawled even more as he felt Soto's gaze fall upon him.

"Humans you say?" Soto said to Zeke, even as his eyes locked into Terry's. "Were those humans armed like these ones?"

Zeke shook his head,

"Not that the scouts could see!" He replied.

Soto smiled cruelly,

"Excellent."

He felt a hand grip his arm. He jerked his head away from Soto's stare to be faced with Charlie's urgent eyes.

"He said _humans,_" He whispered. "More than one; those mammoths have saved Ben and Claire!"

"Indeed they have, _human,_" Soto retorted. The sabre chuckled, his eyes flickering between all three humans faces staring at him. "You needn't look so shocked; you might as well be shouting rather than whispering. This Claire and Ben you speak of, they are important to you?"

_They're family, and don't even ask me to help you capture them, you bastard! _Terry thought at him.

"Yeah." He said aloud.

"A pity...for you." Soto replied, giving all three of them a stare full of meaning;

_Argue and you all die._

All three of them remained silent.

Satisfied, Soto let out a growl,

"Very good," He said. "Zeke, alert the troops. We attack at dawn."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-  
End of Chapter 3  
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**I apologise that these A/Ns are short and perfunctory: these chapters are ones that have been completely rewritten: only the underlying plot required for the later chapters is still intact...and so i can't really comment on people's reviews for these chapters, as they reviewed a different chapter...**

**That being said, feel free to help rectify this :P Go on, click on that little button below...I dare ya!**

**Hope you are still enjoying the story!**

**Till chapter 4, adieu**


	4. Good Intentions

**Hello everyone!**

**Now, I must apologise here - if you are reading this in April '11, then this is currently the last early chapter that has been rewritten. Chapter 5 onwards till, roughly, chapter 17 is still my previous writing style, and before I got a beta...so please bear with it! Or, if you don't wish to bear with it, then fear not! The next time I upload a new chapter, I will also be replacing original chapters with revised or (when necessary) rewritten chapters. Once more I stress that, if you have read this story, the **_**plot is still the same**_**.**

**Without further ado, enjoy!**

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The fire crackled softly, still glowing embers drifting up into the night 'sky'. Frank's attention turned once more to the ice ceiling, his mind telling him for the hundredth time that such a feat was impossible; the tropical temperatures would have - _should _have - melted the ceiling eons ago.

And yet he saw proof to the contrary. One again he shook his head, chuckling in quiet disbelief. Opposite him, the weasel - Buck - was lying down, staring up at the ceiling, deep in thought.

"This is some place," Frank murmured. "Impossible by every stretch of the imagination, but incredible...but there's one thing, out of all of this, that I really don't get."

The weasel shifted, his eyes now focused on him with curiosity.

"Which is?" Buck asked.

"You," Frank stated. "You're clearly a mammal...you seem a little out of place here amongst dinosaurs."

Buck chuckled, lifting himself up into a seated position, his eyes still on Frank.

"An' yer wonderin' 'ow old Buck wound 'imself up 'ere?"

Frank nodded. The weasel sighed, his eyes briefly glazing over, as if deep in his own memories.

"I've never 'ad much of an 'ankering for the quiet lives otha weasels 'ad," He replied quietly. "An', when it came to it, I didn't want'a follow in my fath-" He cut himself off abruptly, his face briefly hardening. After a moment, he glanced up at Frank, smiling slightly. "Fer now, all ya need to know is that I wanted adventure, so I left...and found myself 'ere!" He looked keenly across the fire. "'ow about yerself? You seem outta place 'ere too! Yer not like any 'uman I've ever seen! Or even 'eard of!"

Frank cast a curious glance,

"What are the humans here like?" He asked.

'Well, fer one, they don't talk! Never 'ave round 'ere! And, fer two, you don't smell even 'alf as bad as they do! An' three, even I can tell that you aren't wearing furs!"

"They sound like cavemen."

"That's cos they are!" Buck looked keenly at the human, a trace of confusion underlaying the intrigue.

Frank knew, just from the look, what the next question would be.

"Where are you from?" The weasel finally asked. "An' don't just say 'far away', cos I know that 'umans are like that there too! An' you aren't from round 'ere, since I'm betting Tiger an' the other mammals' stories 'ave been told by now..."

He leant back, his eyes locked onto the weasel beyond the fire. As the embers cracked and burnt quietly, Frank's mind pondered,

_Tell the truth, and be considered crazy, or try and create an elaborate lie...and probably still be considered crazy..._

Even as he sat there thinking, it registered in the dark recesses of his mind that he was deliberating being called crazy by a one eyed wanna-be pirate weasel.

_Maybe you are crazy..._

"I'm not from around here," He finally said. "At least, I'm not from around here _yet..."_

"Ay!" The weasel blurted.

Frank chuckled at the surreality of the situation, realising at that moment that the universe must have a sense of humour as he - the time traveller - was trying to explain himself to a _talking _weasel.

_Or you've gone insane,_ His mind curtly added.

"I was..._am..._the leader of the first expedition to have ever travelled through time. I come from roughly twenty thousand years in your future."

Barring the soft crackling of the fire and an echo of a distant roar, their little camp fell silent for several minutes, Frank waiting patiently for the inevitable barrage of questions that the currently stunned weasel would ask.

"Well," Buck mustered, finally breaking the silence. "That's different! But 'ay, it ain't the first time i've seen odd folk round 'ere!"

Frank realised his jaw must have been utterly slack as the weasel started laughing.

"You don't 'ave to be so shocked, mate! I figured you weren't from around 'ere and - seeing as you 'ave things I 'aven't seen before - it kinda makes sense for you to be from some_time _else."

He shook his head in disbelief, suddenly wondering what strange things the weasel must have seen to accept his story so readily.

"So where's the rest of them?" Buck asked.

"Huh?" Frank mustered, snapping himself out of his thoughts and back to the conversation.

"The other's you 'ave in yer 'expedition'," Buck stated. "Where are they?"

Frank slumped slightly, looking distantly at the ceiling above them.

"I don't know," He admitted. "But my best guess would be that they're above ground; that's where my truck...landed..."

He craned his neck upwards and backwards, trying to get a glimpse of the cave he had crashed through. Failing to see it in the dark, he turned back to Buck, an intrigued expression on his face.

"Do you reckon I could get back to the surface through there?" He asked.

Buck slumped onto the ground, his eyes suddenly showing great sadness. Even before he spoke, Frank knew what he was going to say just from his expression.

"There's a problem with that, mate..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Terry sat still, holding the hand of his wife as much for her comfort as for his. Her hand was clammy to the touch, shivering slightly even as Sam lay beside the warmth of the campfire, wrapped up in every blanket they had. He hated seeing her so fragile; it seemed completely unbecoming of her. He knew she hated the situation as well...truth be told, he knew she wasn't exactly _his _biggest fan at the moment.

Truth be told, neither was he.

He looked around at their surroundings for the hundredth time that day, hating their situation even more. The moon shone brightly that night, bathing their cliff with ghostly white light. Sabres still milled around, seemingly paying no attention to him.

Yet, in the shadows beyond their little fire, he could see light reflecting off of two sets of eyes, both still keenly trained on him and his little band.

He sensed rather than heard the presence of a sabre behind him. He snapped around, finding his face just inches from a sabre's. He tried not to retch at the stench that passed for his breath.

"Soto wishes to see you." The sabre stated.

Terry knew it wasn't a request.

"Where is he?" He asked wearily.

"By the cliff edge. He will see you in ten minutes. Be punctual; Soto dislikes waiting."

Before Terry could say anything else, the sabre was gone, seemingly melting away into the shadows. He paused a moment, letting out an aggravated sigh,

"I hate this." He murmured.

"Not...right..."

He jerked his gaze beside him, stunned to find Sam staring up at him. He smiled, clasping her hand tightly,

"Sam!" He whispered. "God, am I glad you're awake! How are you feeling?"

She shook her head, her eyes full of tears and conviction.

"The path to hell...lined...good intentions," She murmured. "Soto...wants...your...soul..."

He grimaced. He knew Sam's thoughts on the agreement between himself and the sabres. He shared them himself.

"You were hurt, Sam," He replied. "They would have killed us...killed you..."

Her head shook so vehemently he briefly thought she was seizing.

"Not...worth...your...soul," She whispered, pacing her words. "You're...better...than...this..." She licked her lips, looking up at Terry with a worried look. "Just...be...careful."

He kissed her hand, clasping it even more tightly.

"I will, Sammy," He murmured. "Just remember, I love you, and will do all I can to keep you safe."

She smiled weakly.

"I...love...you...too," She mussitated. Even as she spoke, she began drifting back to sleep. "Remember...road...to hell...paved...intentions..."

Carefully, Terry placed her hand on her slowly rising chest. He paused a moment, looking at the woman he loved, pondering what she said. He knew he was potentially trapped by his own agreement; Soto could very easily order him to do the distasteful - all he had to do was threaten Sam. He fought back the tears as the reality hit him: to protect his love, and the others, he might have to become a monster. He might have to lose his soul.

"I hate this." He murmured again as he shuffled to his feet, making his way begrudgingly to meet Soto.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

As he stood at the edge of the cliff, Soto felt as if the whole world was at his feet. He scanned the moonlit valley below, noting the telltale traces of a smattering of campfires, and smiled at the truth of it.

He smiled even more as he pondered the events of the day, still surprised at how _accurately _they had been told to him by those who had saved from the icy clutches of death, long ago.

For years, he had chafed under the notion that he owed his life to others, cynical of any promises of far off gains they gave. In that moment, he knew the discomfort had been worth it; he now had two heavily armed warriors from the future in his pack, and the means by which to control them. He resisted the urge to glance back and see if the two sabres he had set to shadow the female were still in place.

_Control the female, control their pack,_ He mused. His smile grew at the elegant simplicity of it.

Even without turning, the sabre knew that the human leader - Terry - had slowed to a stop behind him, the pungently alien smell filling his nostrils.

"You summoned me, boss?" Terry said flatly.

Soto swerved, getting a good look at the human; tall, muscled, bulky, authoritative...

The sabre looked forward to using such a powerful weapon.

"I did," He replied. "I wanted to speak to you regarding our dawn raid."

The human straightened out, planting his two feet at shoulder length distance, his hands clasped behind his back.

"With respects, boss," Terry said cooly. "I cannot in good conscience attack the rest of my expedition."

The sabre nodded attentively, all the while thinking, '_excellent; now show some magnanimity and he will serve you, maybe even willingly'_

"I understand that, human," He said, exuding a sense of gentle understanding. "It is why I wished to speak with you."

"What?" Terry exclaimed with surprise.

Soto chuckled.

_This is going to be easier than I thought_

"I can appreciate your predicament," He continued. "So you and your pack do not have to join us tomorrow. Care for your sick one and rest instead."

Terry, briefly stunned, shot Soto a grin,

"Thanks, boss," He said earnestly. "It's appreciated."

The sabre bowed slightly,

"It is my pleasure," He said. "Now go, rest."

Soto watched as the human trundled off, maintaining the pleasant, affable exterior just in case the human looked back.

Deep down, he knew the real reason he didn't want the humans present: he didn't trust them. Not until he broke them of any loyalties to anyone but himself.

For the moment, Soto waited.

"The time will come when you will serve me," He murmured under his breath. "Much sooner than you think."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_Manny stood beside his mate, his trunk locked lovingly into hers as they watched their young son play, full of joy and happiness in a valley on the northern outskirts of the bredelands, currently bathed in sunlight. He thought the moment would never end, and he didn't want it to: as far as he was concerned, his life was perfect._

_Suddenly, he was startled, foreign shouts filling the air. He swerved around on the spot, his eyes widening in horror as he witnessed dozens of humans charging them, spears raised menacingly. Desperate to save his son and his mate, he charged at them, slamming into them fiercely with his trunk and tusks, holding as many as he could at bay. But, no matter how hard he tried, he found himself cut off, held back by a wall of spears. A trumpeting noise filled the air, attracting Manny's attention. He turned in time to see his mate and son, huddled against the cliff walls for protection against the humans. _

_Frantically, he lunged at those cutting him off, desperate to reach his family. But even as he did so, he saw the humans gesturing, calling out towards the sky. He craned his neck upwards, letting out a trumpet noise of fear; he saw more humans, but these were rolling boulders to the edge of the cliff for..._

_"NO!" he screamed. "Jennifer!"_

_Jennifer, her eyes filled with tears, turned her gaze towards him even as she held their son tightly to her._

_"I love you, Manny," She shouted. "I love you!"_

_The humans at the top of the cliff had reached the edge, letting gravity take hold of the massive slabs of rock. Time seemed to slow as he watched them fall, his heart breaking into a million tiny pieces as they did so. _

_"NO!" he yelled, just as the rocks crashed to the..._

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- 

"Manny, are you ok?"

His eyes darted wide open, heaving for breath. The vivid and horrifying clarity of his memories faded gradually until he found himself once more in the peaceful, moonlit valley that was his home. He could feel the warm touch of Ellie's trunk on his side. He could sense the concern in her. He raised his trunk to his face; it was moist with tears.

In the distance, he could hear a distant echo of a scream. For a moment, he thought it was just an echo from his memories, until the scream's echo returned, too strong to be a memory...

He _had _been screaming.

_I'm fine,_ he willed himself to say. He turned towards his mate of five years and attempted a smile. But he couldn't manage it, dry sobs now replacing his screams.

"I-" He said falteringly. "The humans...I can't forget, Ellie...I just can't...I can't let them stay..."

He turned away sharply, not wanting Ellie to see the tears streaking once more down his face. He clamped his eyes shut, trying to stop the flow, but it didn't help; he could still see his first mate and his son's eyes, just as the rocks fell and crushed them beneath a flood of stone.

He opened his eyes, desperate to get away from the pain - once safely locked away - that the events of the day had unleashed. He blinked in surprise as he saw Ellie's eyes close to his, wondering how he could be oblivious to her moving around him.

"I'm not asking you to forget," She whispered quietly. "I'm not even asking you to forgive...I'm not asking anything of you...but I want to tell you I have never been more proud of you..."

He simply stared in surprise,

"But why?" He whimpered.

He felt Ellie's trunk caress his gently, her eyes still dominating his vision.

"You have been hurt so badly by humans," She answered. "They took away all that you loved -I can't say I know how you feel, because I can't - but I can say you are still helping them, and they _needed _our help. The hurt their species gave you, you are repaying with kindness. Only the most noble and honourable animals could ever do that," She smiled. "You're a hero in my eyes, Manny."

Manny winced inside, cursing himself for his thoughts. Every fibre of his being wanted to turf out the humans, to leave them to their own fate. But even as his mind was awash with such ideas, the memory of a little human child whose name he never learnt crept in. The recollections of the brief moment when he saw that child beside a picture of his son, realised their similarities. No matter how much he wanted to hate them for what they had done, he couldn't - Pinky had seen to that.

_Humans aren't all evil -_ he heard deep in his thoughts, the voice belonging to his long-lost Jennifer - _just as sabres aren't all evil._

_They have to stay. _

Meekly, he nodded his head.

"Ok," He murmured. He took a deep breath and wiped his face with his trunk, effecting a more confident pose.

"Ok," He said again. "They can stay."

Ellie gave his trunk one last tug with hers and left him alone to think. He smiled to himself, appreciating the blessings of a mate who knew his penchant for pensiveness whenever such situations arose.

Once more, he looked up at the moon, and was lost to his thoughts.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Buck's mind flittered through possible answers as the human looked at him, his face a study of inquisitiveness. After a while he shook his head, clearing it of all the thoughts of lying or covering his own tracks.

"I cut the bridge linking the up-world and the down unda," He finally stated. "About two years ago now."

He arched his eyebrows in surprise as Frank merely shrugged.

"And?" The human replied. "If what you told me about my..._entry_...is correct, then theres a nice, large hole in the ceiling of that cave we can climb up."

Buck never thought he would meet anyone else who was as keen to jump to the adventurous as himself. He grinned, liking Frank all the more.

"Now yer talkin!" He said. "Ya mind if I come with? I 'ave some family I wanna see up top too."

The human cocked his head,

"You have family there?" He quizzed. "If that's the case, why are you _here _in this cave?" Frank paused in thought. "And why did you cut the bridge, for that matter..."

_Good question, _Buck thought to himself.

"I made a poor decision a while back," He replied. "An' chose to stay 'ere rather than go with 'em...a choice i regret."

Frank nodded slowly. Not for the first time, Buck saw his eyes seemingly glaze over, as if lost in his own thoughts.

"Yeah," The human murmured. "I have a lot of those too."

Silence dawned on their little campsite for what felt like aeons as both Frank and Buck sat still, reflecting on their own mistakes. As the fire cracked and collapsed into its final embers, Frank jumped to his feet, placing the tip of a nearby large stick into the embers, waiting patiently as it singed, smoked and then burnt. Seemingly satisfied with his portable fire, he returned to the items still strewn on the floor. Buck watched him silently, his eyebrows arched in query.

"Wot are you doing?" He asked.

Frank didn't reply immediately, his attention focused on the ground. Having rammed the stick into the soft ground, he began picking up various items - something he heard he human call a 'rifle', rope, two pick axes, a knife - arraying it all on himself.

"I'm getting what I reckon we'll need to get out of here."

"But why now?" Buck pressed. "It's dark! It's not as if were in a 'urry, mate."

"True, but I would rather get it over and done with." Frank replied, chuckling quietly.

Buck couldn't help but grin.

"Right'o!" He said. "We'd better get cracking then!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Manny paused, carefully stepping across the threshold into his home, keen not to awake the two slumbering humans – both bandaged and clean – lain beside the fire. He had always admired Ellie's compassion on others – no one who had ever met the female mammoth has disliked her, as far as he knew – but it still amazed him whenever he saw it. He cast a glance over her form and eyes, warmed by just how _contented _she seemed in taking care of the humans...

_That alone made this worth it,_ he stated mentally.

"How are they doing?" He whispered.

Ellie shifted, snapping out of some kind of reverie,

"The boy's fine," She replied quietly. "The female has taken a bump to the head, but should be ok."

Manny nodded. Even with his decision to let them stay, his emotions still couldn't decide whether he was happy, or concerned.

"Thank you for-" He began, but was cut off by a groan, emanating from the female human. Ellie, with a grace Manny didn't know mammoths could posses, moved beside the female almost noiselessly.

"Easy," Ellie said gently. "Try not to move too quickly."

The human licked her lips, the lids of her eyes fluttering open briefly.

"B-ben..." She croaked.

_Ben?_ Manny mouthed at Ellie. _Who is Ben?_

Ellie gestured towards the little human child, still soundly asleep, her eyes filled with a sarcastic glare that Manny knew the meaning of,

_Who do you think?_

"Ben's fine," She whispered softly at the human. "He's asleep at the moment."

"Good..." The female murmured. "Thats...good..."

The humans eyes eased themselves open, looking up at Ellie.

"W-what's...your...name..." She mumbled.

"My name's Ellie." The mammoth replied, smiling broadly.

"Thankyou...Ellie...for...rescuing us," She barely whispered. "Could...have...died..."

Ellie placed her trunk gently on the human's hand, still smiling,

"Always happy to help," She replied. "Go back to sleep, you need to rest."

The human nodded in assent,

"Good...idea..."

Manny stood still, watching the female - once more asleep - pensively. He had never heard humans _speak _before, letalone thank anyone.

"These humans aren't like the others," He murmured aloud, wanting Ellie's input. "Are they."

Ellie nodded slowly, her eyes now shadowed in thought.

"Seems like it," She replied. "But if they're not like the others, then where are they from?"

Manny didn't reply immediately, still lost in thought.

"I don't know," He admitted, his eyes still locked on the two sleeping figures, mentally asking questions at and about them.

"But tomorrow, hopefully, we can ask and find out."

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End of Chapter 4  
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**Thanks for reading! Please review - would really appreciate what you all think of this story!**

**Once more, please bear with the sudden change of writing style that you will suddenly encounter in the next chapter...revised chapters are coming soon!**

**Take care all!**

**Till chapter 5, Trev**


	5. Dawn Raid

**Hello everyone!  
**

**Thank you all for the kind reviews! The rewrites are going very well indeed! As always, please review!**

**Without further ado...**

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

Frank cried aloud, his muscles groaning in pain. He lifted himself up, clambering to find a foothold, his arms beyond numb; he could almost feel them buckling under the strain. The only response he could give to his body's protestations was to grip the pickaxes that held him - and Buck - aloft for dear life. For almost two hours, he and Buck had been clambering up the wall in the cave, newly formed by his truck crashing through just half a day before. For a heart stopping moment, as shuffled his feet anxiously around, desperation kicked in as trying to find as no stable enough ledge to slot his flailing lower appendages into seemingly existed.

He didn't bother looking down; even if he could see a ledge with his eyes, he would also see the bottom of the cave far below. He didn't want to see how far he would fall if he let go.

_Stop thinking like that. You're not going to die...not like this anyway, _he thought grimly, doubling his efforts to find the elusive ledge.

After what felt like an eternity, his feet found a slither of solid rock. He willed his panic to die down, slumping against the rock to rest. His heart pounded in his ears, the noise of it almost as deafening in the silent space of the cavern as the sound of his rapid, heavy breathing.

"You should take a breatha, mate," A voice from his back stated. "Ya sound worn out!"

Frank could barely string a sentence together, his lungs desperate for air,

"Good...idea...Buck..."

Making the most of his much needed break - safe in the knowledge that he now stood on a ledge - he finally allowed himself a peep at their progress and craned his neck downwards. The torch they had left behind seemed almost insignificant below them. Vertigo and nausea welled up within him, suddenly realising he had climbed _at least _dozens, if not hundreds, of metres...

_Without a harness..._

Frank hugged the wall, gripping the handles of the pick axes so tightly he imagined his knuckles turning white in the process. Buck, still hanging from his back, placed a calming hand on his shoulder,

"It's far, I know," He said. "But 'ave a look up! We're almost there!"

He jerked his head up, eager to get a glimpse of anything other than the gaping distance he could fall. The blackness of the cavern above him seemed almost torn apart, a jagged edge framing the sky above them. He could see the black of night had dissipated into a dark - but brightening - shade of blue.

"Its...it's _morning!" _He panted.

"Sure is mate!" Buck replied. "Don't ya worry - that 'erd I told you about should be near. The sooner we get up there, the sooner we could be 'avin breakfast and rest!"

The thought of food and rest was all he needed. Spurred on, he ripped the pick axe in his right hand out of the ice, slamming it back in just above his head, and continued the slow, painful climb.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The sky had begun to turn a light shade of blue in the east when Frank finally plunged a pick axe into the ice of the surface. Buck leapt from his back, jumped almost gleefully into the snow.

"Yer almost there, Frank!" He said encouragingly. "Just one last push!"

The human's motions were sluggish, pain etched onto his face. For a brief moment, Buck thought Frank didn't have the strength left to clamber out of the hole.

_Seems like a shame to 'ave climbed all that way, just'a fall all the way down, _his mind noted. He decided against sharing that particular thought with Frank.

Determined not to let the human fall, he jumped back to the hole, clutching at the human's clothing, pulling as hard as he could. Slowly but surely, Frank made his way out of the hole, crying out in pain as his muscles worked against him.

"Almost there mate!" The weasel shouted as the human's body worked it's way onto the surface. "Get yer legs up and we made it!"

Buck realised he had been holding his breath as he tugged at the human. Seeing he was safe, he let out a deep breath, collapsing onto the ground beneath him...

"AH!" He exclaimed.

Frank, as fast as his stiff and aching body would allow, shifted his gaze over to the weasel.

"What is it?" He asked in concern.

The weasel shrugged, smiling awkwardly,

"A' it's nothin'..." He mustered. "It's just I didn't rememba the ice being so..."

"Cold?" Frank said, smiling slightly.

Buck chuckled,

"I guess I forgot afta so many years down unda!"

After several minutes of stillness, Frank sat up slowly - wincing every few moments as his muscles ached - and pulled out something he had called a 'flask', taking a swig from it. Buck remained seated, until the wind started blowing south, bringing with it new scents...

_familiar scents._

A smile crept over Buck's face, drawing the human's attention.

"What is it Buck?" He asked.

"Ya know that 'erd I told you of?"

"Yeah?"

"They're much nearer than I thought!"

Frank shot him an incredulous look,

"How do you know that!" He quizzed.

"You can't smell that?" The weasel replied.

_Of course 'e can't, idiot, _his mind retorted.

"Shut it!" Buck snapped, eyes craned as high as he could.

In the corner of his now-skywards vision, he could see the human look around in confusion.

"Um...Buck? Who are you talking to?" Frank asked.

Buck shook his head, unprepared to let the human know about his ongoing argument with his brain.

"It doesn't matter," He said quickly. "Now come on! They're less than a mile away!"

Trudging his way through the snow, he could hear Frank audibly groan at the thought of yet more movement.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Diego jolted awake, his nostrils flaring with an unwelcome scent. In an instant, he had jumped to his feet, moving to the edge of the cave slowly, ready to pounce if needs be.

Reaching the lip of their home, he turned his nose to the air, sniffing keenly.

He jerked back in fear.

"Manny!" He whispered.

He could hear a grunt further back in the cave,

"Can it wait, Diego?" Manny muttered under his breath.

"It can't." Diego replied tersely.

He could hear Manny sigh. Slowly, a dark figure at the back of the cave clambered towards Diego, Manny's bleary eyes being revealed by the soft light of dawn.

"What's so important that you gotta get me out of bed?" Manny grumbled.

"I caught the scent of sabres nearby. The scent is strong, so there's either a lot of them, or they're close...or-"

"Or both." Manny finished his sentence, latching on to his train of thought. All the sleep in the mammoth's eyes had vanished, replaced with the same concern the sabre's had.

He turned to Diego,

"Go check it out. See how many of them there are and if there's any way we can get everyone out safely."

Diego nodded slowly, unsurely,

"And if there isn't?"

Manny furrowed his brow,

"Then we'll have to fight our way out."

The sabre nodded, fearing such a response. Eventually, he gave his friend a weak smile,

"I'll be back before you know it."

Diego sped off into the distance, hearing Manny's voice suddenly ring loudly on the morning air,

"Everybody wake up NOW!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank scrambled through the snow, willing his wearied body to keep up as Buck nimbly lead them up ahead. With every step, the weasel grew more animated and vocal, excitement visibly rising up in him. He had paid precious little attention to the weasel's rantings in his efforts to match his pace but - to his muscle's great relief - Buck seemed to have stopped, eyes fixed on a distant spot.

"That's them!" He shouted, pointing his knife wildly forward. "Can you see that?"

He followed the direction of Buck's gesturing, only to find himself looking at a trail of smoke, rising into the air from somewhere just beyond the hill.

_They have fire? _He noted with surprise. He marvelled at the sight, wondering what else humanity had gotten wrong about earth's history...

Even as he thought that, he saw the clifftop through the smoky haze. His heart skipped a beat. Instinctively, he flung himself to the ground, unslinging his rifle in the process. Buck, more confused than concerned, look at him oddly,

"Wot the 'ell are ya doing?" He quizzed.

"GET DOWN!" Frank hissed, gesturing forcefully. Confused though he was, Buck obliged. Satisfied, he turned his attention to the scope of his rifle, scanning the surrounding cliffs. Like ghosts, he spotted a dozen things one second, only for them to disappear the next.

Even so, from what Buck had told him, he could make a guess at what he saw.

"Buck," He murmured, still scanning the cliff. "How many sabre toothed tigers did you say this herd had?"

"Just tha one," Buck replied. "Diego."

Frank's heart sank a little.

"I was worried you were going to say that..." He murmured aloud. He shifted in the snow, getting a good look of the worry creeping over Buck's face.

"...because there's twelve of them on the cliff tops _alone."_

Worry turned into outright shock on the weasel's face.

"Bleedin' 'eck!" He almost shouted, his eyes wide. "They're in trouble!"

Before Frank could comment, the weasel was tugging at his sleeve, desperately trying to get him up.

"We 'ave to 'elp them!" Buck shouted. "An' we 'ave to move fast!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The sight of Diego sprinting into the forest brought a cruel smile to Soto's lips; only when he saw the sabre fly past did he know just how _well_ they had covered their tracks and scents.

_We're right here, Diego, _he thought snidely. _All those years with the herbivores have made you weak._

The bushes beside him rustled quietly as Zeke came into view. Soto glanced over cooly at the sabre, noting the agitated excitement in him.

"Is everyone in place?" He asked quietly.

"Yes, Soto!" He replied. "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! Can't wait to get my teeth into that _mammoth!_"

"Only once I've had my revenge," He replied brusquely. "Spread the word that once the baby is dead, the troops can eat what they kill."

Zeke leaped into the air in excitement.

"Sure thing, Soto!"

In a flash, Zeke was gone. Soto turned his attention back to the cave, the sudden burst of activity bringing a smile to his face.

_Predictable._

He waited several moments, savouring the moment that had finally arrived;

_Revenge, _he mused, _tastes sweet._

His pause has a tactical purpose as well, he knew; ensuring that Diego would be far enough away to only arrive when it was too late.

Satisfied, he raised his head and let out a roar.

"ALL TROOPS! ATTACK!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Diego skidded to a halt, barely missing a tree in the process. His blood went cold as the roar echoed about him, knowing full well that it came from _behind _him.

"Damnit!" He exclaimed.

Now sprinting in the direction he came, he chided himself for not even bothering to check the nearby forests. He drew nearer and nearer to his home, hoping he wasn't too late.

_Hold on Manny! _He thought. _I'm coming!_

_-x-x-x-x-x-_

Manny stood at the lip of the cave, staring out in horror as sabres seemingly manifested themselves from every nook and cranny. He scanned briefly, realising he could count almost two dozen sabres.

_At least, _he thought fearfully.

His heart skipped a beat, panic now deeply set within him. His thoughts turned to Ellie and Peaches, fearful of what would happen to them; he knew he was no match against so many sabres. Especially since _he _had sent Diego to reconnoitre.

He realised only then what a foolish move that had been.

Slowly, they began to move forwards, encircling the cave. As they got too close, Manny swiped at them with his tusks, flinging them into the nearby rocks. But, with every swipe, Manny found himself being manoeuvred _away _from the cave entrance. Suddenly, his fear turned to anger. Determined to protect his family, he let out a yell and ploughed himself into the nearby sabres, goring one on his tusks, swinging wildly in a circle, holding them briefly at bay.

A roar, immediately recognisable and - for Manny - welcome, echoed off the cliff walls. Suddenly, Diego leapt out of the bushes, pouncing on the nearest sabre with outstretched claws. Both Manny and Diego swiped and cleaved and battered the sabres. But, as Manny took another swipe, he felt several sabres pounce on his back.

Before he knew it, he was toppled off of his feet, claw marks scattered across his body, his back pressed up the wall. The mammoth panicked; he was trapped. He glanced over at Diego expectantly, only to be dismayed at the sight of Diego pinned beneath a pile of sabres.

Manny closed his eyes, waiting for the death blow that would surely come...

"Do not harm them!" A voice, seemingly ubiquitous to Manny, shouted. "I want them to see, and suffer!"

It took Manny several moments, but he recognised the voice. He thought he would be lucky to never hear it again, certain he had killed its owner years before.

It took all of his willpower to stop him from shuddering. A movement from the forest caught his eye, dragging his attention towards it. A sabre, larger than the others, emerged from the shadows, the morning light revealing several reddened scars on his side.

Manny gasped. He knew it couldn't be possible, and yet there he stood.

"Soto." He murmured aloud.

The sabre chuckled mirthlessly,

"It pleases me that you can still recognise me, mammoth."

"But you're supposed to be dead!" Manny protested.

Soto snarled,

"Perhaps next time you should make sure!"

Apparently losing interest in Manny, Soto turned away. As he did so Manny could see the scars; seven pink-red scars in the shapes of holes across his torso. Right where he saw the icicles hit all those years ago.

"What's the matter, mammoth? Admiring your own handiwork are we?" Soto growled, apparently sensing where his eyes had drifted. He leapt at Manny, grabbing his trunk, cruelty deep set in his eyes, "Believe me, this morning I shall give you greater scars than these."

"What do you want with us, Soto?" Manny said forcefully.

Soto chuckled, he let go of Manny's trunk,

"I would have thought that would be obvious to you by now..." He cocked his head towards the cave. "Bring them out!"

Manny had been so focussed on Soto that he hadn't paid any attention to anything else. Suddenly, the sounds of crying and wailing trailed out of the cave. Fearfully, Manny snapped his head around, his heart almost stopping in shock.

"NO!" He screamed.

Peaches and the human boy now lay in the open, thrown there unceremoniously by several burly sabres. Manny's eyes met once more with Soto's, his skin crawling under the heartless stare and cruel smile.

"You know full well," Soto growled. "That I am still owed a baby by this herd."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The frantic actions of both the mammoth and Diego left Soto feeling intensely satisfied. Whilst Diego tried - and failed - to free himself from the grip of his sabres, it was the mammoth's actions that brought Soto the most amusement.

Panicked and enraged, the mammoth flayed about, desperate to free himself like an animal caged by humans. Soto watched him for several moments, quickly wearying of his antics. In one fluid motion, he leapt onto the mammoth's trunk, pressing one outstretched claw deep into his fur. Caught off guard by Soto's movements, the mammoth stopped flailing. Before he could rally, several more sabres had pounced on him, and the mammoth's fleeting attempts to escape ceased. Soto smiled to himself,

_Good. He knows, should he move, it would be the last thing he did._

He looked down into the mammoths eyes, seeing the hatred - and the fear - welling in them.

"You're a monster." The mammoth hissed.

Soto let out a hollow laugh,

"You left me for dead," He replied. "And _you _are calling _me _the monster?"

He glared one last time at the mammoth before making his way towards the children.

"Soto, if you wanna kill anyone, then take me!" Diego shouted out.

_How chivalrous of you Diego_, Soto thought disdainfully. _Alright, I'll play your little game, but the children are still mine_.

"What was that, Diego?" Soto tried hard to feign surprise in his voice.

"You said it was either a baby or me," Diego said.

"So?" Soto replied coolly.

"EAT ME! LEAVE THEM ALONE!" Diego bellowed.

Soto broke into a blood curdling laugh, "How noble of you Diego, but you do not understand. I will leave a scar in all of your lives so big," he suddenly hushed into a menacing snarl, "it will almost make up for the scars you have left me."

He towered over the children, savouring the terrified stares they gave him. He had longed for this day for over ten years; revenge would soon be his.

Paw raised above him, all his claws extended, he gave the mammoth a vindictive smile.

"NO!" the mammoth screamed angrily, "NO!"

Soto looked over at the mammoth and smiled,

"Your baby. Is. Mine."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Buck, what the hell am I looking at?"

What Frank saw through the scope bewildered him; mammoths penned down by sabres, _another _sabre penned down by sabres, and what seemed like a screaming contest between three of them.

He didn't know what to do. He sensed rather than saw Buck beside him, the anger in him almost palpable.

"Wot ya waiting for!" He said. "Kill em!"

"Kill _who," _Frank retorted. "I haven't got a clue what's going on here...wait...something's happening."

Through the scope, he could see several sabres drag out two animals from the cave, dropping them before another sabre, one bearing several scars on his side. Frank focussed in on the sabre, noting the deference the others gave him.

_He's the leader, _he concluded.

They waited silently, watching the commotion that ensued. Slowly, as everything seemed to return to calm, Frank turned his attention to the two animals, quivering in the centre. As soon as he did, alarm bells started to ring in his head; whilst one was clearly a mammoth, the other one certainly wasn't. He could make out legs, arms, clothes...

His heart raced.

"Christ," He exclaimed. "That's Ben!"

"Who?" Buck quizzed.

"Ben," Frank repeated, his hands now shaking. "That's my son!"

It suddenly clicked into place, in all it's horror; he could see the sabre's leader standing over them, claws raised.

He knew an execution when he saw one.

Anger seared through him as he saw Ben and the little mammoth shake in fear beneath the sabre.

Without a second thought, he loaded the rifle, rose to one knee, and opened fire.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The new roar behind Soto filled him with fear; he had heard it before, when he had met the humans and they had used their firesticks. In a split second, he knew it was the same roar. He leapt aside just as the ground where he stood suddenly shredded. To the left and the right of him, he watched as several of his sabres' sides became riddled with wounds from an unseen force, their bodies collapsing to the ground, spasming as blood tricked into the snow.

As yet more ground around him shattered, he sped towards cover, hiding behind a tree. He looked up, scanning his surroundings, until his eyes came across two figures on a nearby hill. One was clearly a human, wielding a firestick. The other appeared to be a weasel.

The roar ended as abruptly as it started, silence once more returning. No one moved, not even the herd; no one was sure what to expect.

"Retreat now, or die, you bastards!" A voice bellowed, carrying on the winds.

Soto roared in defiance; he had come so close to gaining his revenge. He wasn't prepared to let a mere _human _stop him.

"Or you will do what?" Soto shouted back.

The roar of the firestick returned, filling the air with it's jarring noise. Soto watched in impotent rage as two of the sabres holding the mammoth down simply fell down dead, blood pouring from wounds that had all but magically appeared.

"Back away, or I will end all of you right here and now" The human curtly replied.

Soto knew he was beaten, and it infuriated him. He glanced over at the corpses of his sabres, knowing full well the human could easily make good on his threat, without any harm coming to himself.

_Coward! _He thought angrily at the human.

"Retreat!" He shouted out.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank trained his rifle on the retreating sabres, aiming specifically for the leader. As they slunk back into the trees, he saw him turn, glaring at the mammoth,

"Mark my words, mammoth! This isn't the last you will see of me! Your baby is still going to be mine!"

Incensed, he squeezed the trigger, felling a sabre that stood beside the leader. He watched as the sabre - along with a tree beside him - were torn through with bullets. He watched as the leader sped off, vanishing into the underbrush, with more than a little glee.

He let out a sigh of relief; his son was safe. That was all that mattered to him.

_My son is safe._

Beside him, Buck was jumping on the spot, laughing wildly,

"That was fantastic!" He exclaimed. "I ain't never seen anything like that before!"

Frank gave him a weak smile, betraying none of the internal sorrow he felt;

_After all those years of war, running from war, and hating what you learned, those skills just saved your son...ironic, isn't it? _He thought to himself.

Ignoring the thought, he slung the gun over his shoulder and stood up, brushing the snow off of his trousers. As he looked down towards the cave, he suddenly realised just how surreal a group of animals he had just saved.

Frank looked at the assembled animals that emerged from the cave to join with those outside, his son included. He could count mammoths, opossums, a sloth…and a _sabre-toothed cat?_

Frank wasn't sure he was surprised anymore; _impossible _struck him as a word that held little meaning in his new surroundings.

"Ah…" Frank cleared his throat. "So, these are your friends?"

Buck looked up and nodded,

"Sure are!" He said. "Come on, they'll be eager to meet ya!"

Frank opened his mouth, eager to ask questions, but before he could ask, Buck was already sprinting forwards,

"Oi!" Buck shouted. "Manny! Diego! Over 'ere! I'm back!"

He let out a sigh, utterly bewildered by the situation he had found himself in. Slowly he began to trudge through the snow, walking towards the strangest group of animals he had ever seen. As his eyes fixed on his son, he gathered pace, breaking out into a run.

"Here goes nothing, I suppose." he muttered to himself.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**  
**End of Chapter 5**  
**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

**Thanks for reading all! Once more, please review!**


	6. Reunion

Manny remained frozen against the cliff wall, staring at the fleeing sabres with incredulity.

His situation had changed in an instant; one moment he was pinned down, pleading for the life of his daughter, but now he was staring at their backs, surrounded by their dead. Slowly, he moved himself away from the wall, careful not to step on the suddenly-dead sabres that lay around him. He glanced over at Peaches, still sat beside the human boy, both of them quivering in silent fear.

The tears in Peaches' eyes swept away all his confusion about what had happened; his daughter needed him. He rushed over and wrapped his trunk around his daughter, holding her tightly, eager to hide her from the horror that lay around her. Peaches, as if stirred out of her shock by the familiar, comforting touch, burst into tears.

"It's ok, Peaches," Manny whispered soothingly into the crying toddler's ear. "Daddy's here, you're safe. The nasty sabres won't be hurting you anymore."

He rocked her back and forth, relief flooding him as her sobbing died down into a gentle whimper. It was then that he plucked up his courage and looked up, surveying the area around his cave.

Seven sabres lay dead around him, small pools of blood on the floor beside them. Even from where he sat, Manny could see the wounds of several of them, shocked at how small and _round _they were.

He wondered what could possibly do such damage, but he couldn't; he had never seen such wounds before.

The realisation left Manny perturbed.

"What...just _happened?"_

Manny's head snapped round towards Diego, seeing the same look of confusion on his face. Their gazes met, each of them looking for the answer to their quandary in the other. It worried him that _Diego, _his go-to guy for anything, didn't have any answers.

"I have no idea," Manny finally mustered.

"Manny!" Ellie's voice cried out. "Thank goodness-"

He turned towards Ellie, seeing the rest of the herd staring at the cadavers in shock. Ellie looked squarely at him, mouth agape,

"What did you two _do?_" She asked.

"We didn't." Diego replied.

Ellie cocked her head in surprise, her eyes drifting towards the nearest corpse,

"But, but," She stammered. "If you guys didn't, then who did?"

"Good question," Manny murmured. "If only we knew...Ellie, can you take Peaches and the human inside? I don't want them to see any more of..._this_."

Ellie nodded in understanding. She reached out her trunk, carefully wrapping it around their daughter so that Peaches couldn't see, and led her back inside without another word. Sid, Eddie and Crash exploded into chatter, but Manny was in no mood to bear with it,

"Guys, either help us out or shut up!" He snapped, instantly silencing them. He turned to Diego,

"Can you help me clear this up?" He murmured, gesturing to the dead that lay around them. Silently, they nodded their consent.

All five of them began to set about the macabre task, piling up the carcasses out of eyesight. As they had moved the last carcass, a familiar voice shouted out to them,

"Manny! Diego! Oi! Over 'ere!"

_Buck? _

They all spun round, looking out at the hill to the west of their cave, and gasped. Sure enough, a one eyed weasel was sprinting towards them.

"BUCK!" Crash and Eddie exclaimed, rushing towards him. As they met, the sheer force of the hug the two opossums gave him knocked him off his feet.

"It's good to see you lads again as well!" Buck said, laughing.

Manny raised his eyebrow, sharing a glance with Diego.

"Attacked for the first time in years and Buck returns in the same morning?" He said. "How does that work?"

The sabre shrugged,

"Beats me," He replied. "But I gotta say, this is the more pleasant of the two."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank skidded to a halt as Buck was floored by a pair of opossums. Watching the laughter and the hugs, he shuffled awkwardly on the spot, realising that he had suddenly become privy to a family reunion of people he didn't know.

As Buck was swarmed by the most eclectic mix of animals imaginable, he opted to keep his distance.

To his surprise, as the chatter grew between Buck and the rest, he noted he could understand all of them, not just the weasel.

_But how?_ His mind protested.

He couldn't help but chuckle, convinced that _impossible _was a term that really did hold no meaning in his new surroundings. Realising that he was phasing out of the conversation, he snapped out of his thoughts, paying keen attention to all that was said.

"Buck, it's good have you back buddy! I have to admit, I missed ya." The sabre, now standing beside the weasel, said.

Before the weasel could respond, he received a playful punch on the shoulder by the trunk of a mammoth. Frank stared with awe at the mammoth, only now realising just how much _bigger _than a human they were. But the mammoth paid him no heed, his attention still locked on Buck.

"Buck!" The mammoth exclaimed. "Welcome back! What are you doing here?"

"'im," Buck replied. "'e's looking for 'is expedition. An' I was wond'rin' if you could 'elp 'im!"

It took several moments for him to realise but, when he did, Frank's insides churned. Buck had pointed squarely at him, and he now found himself under the searching gazes of five unfamiliar sets of eyes. He noted the sabre and the mammoth, immediately grateful for the weight of the rifle on his back in case they didn't take kindly to him. Determined not to be the cause of such an incident he straightened out, smiled nervously and waved, hating himself for just how awkward he knew he looked at that moment.

"Hello," He said quietly.

_I come in peace, _he thought at them.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Silence fell on the herd as they studied the new arrival. Manny knew from sight that he was different from the humans he had seen before; strange clothes, strange mannerisms and - stranger still, for Manny - the ability to speak. And yet he knew he had seen such a human before...

_The humans in the cave,_ he realised.

He groaned inwardly at the thought of another human arriving in their midst, even if the human had saved their lives. Yet more silence passed as they looked at each other, until Manny was jolted out of his thoughts by a nudge. He turned, amazed to find Ellie standing beside him.

_How did she get there so quietly? _He wondered.

"Say something," She whispered.

He huffed under his breath, knowing full well he no longer had a choice in the matter.

"Um...thanks," He fumbled, quickly adding. "For saving us back there."

The human visibly relaxed, his smile becoming slightly less nervous,

"You're welcome." He said.

"What's your name?" Manny asked.

"Me?" The human asked with surprise. "Well...ah...my name's Frank."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

As soon as the silence was broken, everything had become a blur. Buck, having pried himself from the opossums, introduced Frank to the animals in quick succession. Suddenly, he found himself face to face with sabres, mammoths, opossums and sloths, at a loss as to who was called what.

He glanced up briefly at the cave. He moved to turn back to the animals when his gaze snapped back. A human boy stood at the lip of the cave, staring at him with wide eyes. His heart leapt for joy, tears welling in his eyes even as his mind struggled to catch up with what he saw.

"Ben?" He said. As the boy broke into a run, he weaved his way out of the huddle he was in, opening his arms wide. "BEN!"

"Dad! DAD! You're alive!" Ben shouted as he leapt into his arms. Frank held him tightly, tears of joy flowing freely down his face.

"I thought I'd lost you," He choked up, emotions driving him past words as he kissed the top of his son's head. "I thought I'd lost you."

"We thought we'd lost you too, dad," Ben murmured. As he spoke, his voice cracked into sobs. "When we crashed, and you weren't there, we thought...we thought..."

Ben slumped onto his shoulder, weeping. Frank hugged him tightly, holding him close,

"It's ok, Ben, it's ok," He whispered. "I'm here now, and I'm not leaving. You're safe now. It's ok..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Manny looked on, stunned at the human's - _Frank's, _he corrected himself - words. They sounded so much like the words he had said to Peaches not minutes before, and it challenged him;

He had grown so accustomed to seeing humans as cruel and malicious - the species that would willingly use stones to crush a child, _his _child. He had even gone to the extent, over the years, of rationalising Pinky's kindness to merely the expressions of the innocence of youth before their cruelty kicked in…

But now he looked at a human adult, weeping tears of joy as he whispered the same words into his son's ear as Manny would have done. It took all his willpower to keep his expression neutral, intent on betraying none of his thoughts on the surface. Ellie, her eyes bright with tears, leant in towards him,

"Sounds familiar," She said insinuatingly.

He knew she was right, and not just in the current situation; it dawned on Manny that she was right to convince him to help the humans in the first place. Once more, his first mate's voice echoed in his mind,

_Humans are not all evil._

"It does," He mustered. He looked her in the eyes and smile, his gaze full of meaning; _You were right._

Sid, oblivious to Manny's inner wrangling, clasped his hands together as he watched the humans, his eyes welling up with tears,

"Aw. Another happy family re-union."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank didn't know how long he hugged his son for. If he were honest, he didn't care; he could quite happily continue hugging his son, the son he feared he had lost. But he didn't miss Ben's use of 'we', nor could he forget the absence of the rest of the expedition; he needed to know.

Gently, he pulled back, unclasping his son from his grip and looked him in the eye,

"Is mum with you?" He asked. "Or the others?"

Ben nodded, "I don't know about aunty Sam or Uncle Terry, or even Charlie and Nigel…but Mum's here; she's in the cave, resting. They've been taking care of her," Ben's eyes lit up, "I'll take you to her! Come on Dad!"

Before he could say anything else, Frank found himself being yanked onto his feet as his son broke into a run, his hands gripped around Frank's sleeve. He winced as his muscles screamed back into life, his body aching in ways he had never experienced before.

Wherever Claire was sleeping, he hoped it was near.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The cave felt warm and inviting compared to the cold of the outdoors. Everything, from the blackened marks on the ceiling to the rudimentary artwork on the wall told Frank it wasn't just a cave, but a _home_. On the far side of the cave beside the fire, he saw a sleeping figure. He smiled in relief at the sight of his wife sleeping soundly. As carefully as he could, he made his way towards Claire, kneeling down beside her. He smiled lovingly at her, grazing her cheek softly with his hand. His eyes caught the sight of her wounds, evidently cleaned and bound. He felt tears well up in his eyes again as gratitude towards the animals he had just saved flared within him.

"Hey,"

Frank turned towards the cave's entrance, surprised to see the female mammoth – Ellie, he reckoned, seeing as it was the only female name Buck uttered - standing there, smiling broadly.

"Hey," Frank replied, trying to wipe away the tears. Satisfied his face was dry, he made a gesture that encompassed Claire. "I can't thank you enough for all this...for taking care of Claire and Ben...thank you so much."

Ellie chuckled,

"It's my pleasure," She said. "I'm always happy to help. Anyways, I should probably leave you guys alone for a bit. Just call me if you need anything."

"Thank you," He said, his eyes watering again. "For everything."

Without another word, Ellie was gone. Frank shifted himself onto the ground beside Claire, leaning against the wall. The aches and pains he had ignored for hours on end now morphed into fatigue. With his son fast asleep nearby, and his wife sleeping soundly beside him, Frank decided to give in and join them. Within a minute, the cave was filled with quiet snoring.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Outside, the herd had gathered together, talking avidly about what had happened to them that morning. Manny had drifted in and out of the conversation, his mind still dwelling on Frank, the image of him hugging his son seared into his brain.

_Snap out of it, Manfred, _His mind stated. _This is important._

As he tuned into the discussion, he wasn't prepared for just how _heated _it had become in the moments he hadn't paid attention. With renewed interest, he listened in.

"...I'm hearing what you're saying, but why _should _we leave?" Sid asked. "This is the first attack in years. There hasn't even really been an incident since two years ago-"

"And do you remember how that last one panned out?" Diego interrupted. "It was only after we proved the dinosaurs couldn't come back that the village decided to stay. But _this..._this is different!"

"How?" Ellie challenged.

Diego straightened out, gesturing in the direction of the woods,

"Do you really believe they will think it's safe if they know a pack of _sabres_ are nearby?" He said. "Or if they knew there's now a way out for the dinosaurs? Everyone is thinking it, I'm just saying it; the village is going to leave. We should too."

An uneasy silence fell on the group. One by one, everyone turned to look at Manny.

"Well, Manny? You haven't said a word in all of this. Do _you_ think it's safe for us to stay here?" Diego asked, eyes boring into the mammoth.

Manny shifted in his seat, mulling over the question. Under normal circumstances, he knew what his answer would be: leave before the sabres attacked again.

But he also knew it _wasn't_ a normal circumstance.

"I'm not sure," He admitted. "Things are kinda different now..."

"We 'ave the 'umans!" Buck butted in. "Frank 'as a firestick!"

Diego cocked his head towards the weasel, his eyes incredulous,

"He has a _what?" _He said.

"A firestick!" Buck repeated. "It was 'ow 'e killed them sabres."

Diego snorted,

"You mean that stick he had on his back?" He said derisively. "Come on, Buck. Are you seriously expecting us to believe that he has a stick that breathes fire and kills instantly?"

"Yes," Buck replied fervently. "I 'ave seen what it can do. And now, those sabres know it too. They won't be coming back anytime soon!"

Manny nodded. He knew the weasel made some kind of nonsensical, insane sense; he had never seen the wounds - or heard the jarring, stuttering roar - before. The notion that the human had a weapon that would be able to kill at a distance - even an _improbable_ one - explained what he saw…or so he wanted to believe.

"Buck's right; they won't come back anytime soon, so I think we can stay for a little while," He muttered. "At least till the human female-

"Claire." Ellie corrected.

"Okay, at least until _Claire_ is able to walk." Manny finished.

"But how long do you reckon that'll be?" Diego quizzed.

"A couple of days," Ellie said. "Hopefully."

"Ok, but…" Diego paused, as if pondering his words carefully, "Should we take them with us? We have helped them, and they are definitely not helpless if Buck is right...we _could_ leave them behind..."

Buck moved so quickly that, from Manny's perspective, it seemed like he had disappeared from his spot and materialised next to Diego, his knife raised angrily at the sabre.

"You 'ad better take that back, tiger," Buck growled. "Cos, if it weren't for the 'umans, you would be dead right now."

Diego jerked back in surprise,

"Easy, Buck! I didn't mean it like that..." He replied falteringly.

"Then 'ow did ya mean it?" Buck pressed.

"We don't know them," Diego snapped. "Sure, they saved us, but what about tomorrow? Or the day after? How do we know they won't turn on us?"

"Did you know Manny and Sid when you joined 'em?" Buck asked piercingly. "Did they trust you completely when you first travelled with 'em?"

Diego frowned at the weasel,

"Well, no... but that was different!"

"'ow, exactly?"

Diego remained silent.

Buck swerved, his knife now pointed at Ellie,

"Ellie, 'ow long did ya know this lot before you started travelling with 'em?"

Ellie smiled slightly,

"About five minutes."

Buck let his knife fall slack beside him as he turned, looking everyone in the eyes, before staring solely at Manny,

"That's what I thought; none of us 'ere knew the others when we started travellin' togetha. So why start now? Just cos they're '_umans_? Frank 'as done nothing to make me suspicious of 'im. And, judging by the fact you 'ave kept 'is son and 'is mate in yer company for over a day now, I'm assuming you 'ave 'ad the same inklin' I do."

"That inkling being?" Diego asked,

Buck turned, looking at the sabre earnestly,

"That these 'umans are alone, and need a family right now, just like everyone else in this rag-tag bunch."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Buck's words still echoed in Manny's mind, even as the morning's excitement had ebbed away, being replaced by more the more mundane tasks of eating. He walked ponderously through the forest, selecting the juiciest branches and fruits to feast on. Satisfied with his forage, he returned to their cave. Were it not for the pile of sabres stacked unceremoniously a good distance from the cave, he could have believed the dawn raid to have been little more than a figment of his imagination; the opossums were fooling around again and Sid had reverted back to sleep. Even Diego had long since gone hunting, as if nothing had happened.

He shifted himself to the ground, chewing on a particularly tender branch, savouring its taste. His thoughts turned back to the humans, specifically to the sheer _power_ they had exhibited. The notion of the humans possessing a firestick that could kill instantly, even from so far away, perturbed him; the prospect that they could one day turn that power against them worried him even more so.

_How could I defend my family against that? _He asked himself. The silence that followed left him even more unsettled.

Movements from the corner of his eye caught his attention. As he turned, the human who had saved them emerged from the cave, looking more haggard than he had earlier that day. Manny watched him keenly, hoping to divine his intent from his actions.

The only thing he could conclude was that the human was _sore._ Limping, stretching and wincing, the human resembled more a victim than a victor. But it wasn't his stiff movements that surprised Manny. As he saw the human smile at the sunshine, look on in amusement at the opossums antics, he saw no malice, anger, or disdain in his eyes. If Manny didn't know better, he wouldn't have connected the man he was then studying with the one who had stood up so _viciously_ against Soto.

Once more, Manny didn't know whether relief or fear was the correct response.

Lost in his thoughts, he kept staring at the human, only to realise that the human was now looking back at him. Embarrassed, he returned to his meal, eating away as if nothing happened. The man's approaching shadow - and his distinct scent - alerted Manny that his ploy hadn't worked.

"Good morning," The human mustered.

Manny looked up and tried to smile, only to find himself squinting at the sun, only partly occluded by the man's head. He winced inside; he knew full well he was frowning from his efforts.

_Not exactly a warm welcome, _he snapped at himself.

"Good morning!" He replied amiably, hoping his tone - rather than his facial expressions - would be noted. "How did you sleep...ah...Frank?"

Frank attempted a smile as he sat down, only to wince at his exertions,

"Well, thanks," He said. Manny could tell he was lying. "Although sleeping upright against a stone wall didn't do me any favours..." The human trailed off, shifting uncomfortably on the ground. "I'm sorry to be so rude, but which one are you? Buck's introductions were...well, _hasty_...I'm guessing you're either Diego or Manny?"

He chuckled,

"I'm Manny," He replied.

The human smiled, giving no verbal reply. Silence fell between them as neither human nor mammoth knew _what _to say.

"So," Frank murmured. "What do you do for food around here?"

He stared at Frank for a long while, incredulity etched onto his features. Every alarm bell rang out in his mind; he couldn't believe a _human _didn't know of the necessity to hunt...or even the natural order of the world.

"Are you serious?" He spluttered.

Frank shrugged, seemingly unaware of his bewilderment.

"We brought six months' worth of rations," He said, apparently as if in explanation. "But they seem to be gone now and so I need to find some foo-"

Frank sat upright, as if held up by vines.

"...oh...right...hunt..."

"Well done," Manny said deadpan. "Truly, you must be at the apex of the food chain."

The human blushed. In movements that were as awkward as they were hurried, he stood onto his feet,

"Well, I...ah...should probably get going," He murmured. "Hunting to go do and all that...well, ah, thank you for the chat!"

Before Manny could reply, the human sped off, rushing into the woods and out of sight. He shook his head in disbelief,

"Who are these humans?" He murmured to himself.

"Beats me, but they seem like a laugh!"

Manny snapped his head sideways, surprised at the sudden presence of Buck.

"How did you get the-" He stopped himself, a new thought entering his mind. He lifted himself up to his feet, looking keenly at the weasel.

"Buck, how did you meet Frank?"

The weasel grinned as his limbs exploded into a mass of motions,

"There I was, sitting all by me lonesome by that cave you all came through a couple'a years back, an' before I knew it I was runnin' for me life! I barely 'ad time to get out the way before something rushed past me! So I went ta look, and there was a 'uman crawlin' out of some large, 'eadless beast with no legs."

Manny noticed the description.

"The beast," He said energetically. "Was it about my length, with crystal clear ice sheets on all its sides and four circular things where its legs should be?"

Buck blinked in surprise,

"'ow could ya possibly know that?" He asked.

"Because we found the other two humans in two other...things...just a mile from here," He replied, pointing his trunk north. He paused slightly, realising what it was he wanted to ask.

"Buck...do you know where they _came _from?"

The weasel grinned, as if enjoying some in-joke.

"I'm not sure you'd believe me even if I told ya!" He replied. "Besides, why are ya askin' me? The 'umans are 'ere, makes sense to get it from the 'orse's mouth, as it were."

Manny nodded slightly, seeing the truth in the statement. He opened his mouth to speak only for words – and a voice – not his own to fill the air,

"Indeed, it does make sense to get it from the source."

His eyes widened as he realised _who _was talking to him, the realization bringing with it reminders of everything else he had forgotten to do;  
_Such as explain to the village what exactly happened this morning,_he stated mentally.

He had been so stunned by the voice he had kept his head down, as if trying to avoid the conversation. He winced inside at his own actions, knowing full well he had meant to tell them, to speak to them…and, more specifically, _her. _Slowly, but surely, the shadow of an antelope covered him, its owner occluding his sight of the sun. He craned his neck up and stared the village elder in the eyes, giving her a slanted smile.

"Madam elder!" He said. "We are honoured by your-"

The antelope shook her head brusquely,  
"Spare me the pleasantries, old friend," She replied quietly. "I have come because the village is in uproar about this morning's sabre attack. I need you to come with me."

He slumped visibly, dreading such statements.  
"Sure," He murmured. "I'll come with you."

The elder smiled slightly,  
"Good, in which case you can do me another favour,"

"And what would that be?" Manny quizzed.

The smile on the elder's face grew more and more enigmatic.  
"We can start with what in the name of all the gods and goddesses of all the lands happened this morning."  
The bitter sigh he had repressed for minutes erupted out of his lungs;  
He knew then that he had a long, aggravating day awaiting him.


	7. Campfire Stories Part 1

**Hey everyone!**

**Congrats for making it this far! Now, I feel the need to mention that there is a distinct shout out here to a tie in story by Diegoredeemedlover called Lost in Time: Destiny. If you haven't read it yet, then I highly commend it!**

Also, a mega-uber thanks for Fabchickxo and her amazing story, Campfire Stories, for giving me the literary device and framework upon which this chapter, the next one, and countless later chapters are framed on! This chapter is, as you've probably guessed by now, name in honour of her story :)

**As always, please review once you have read! All reviews that arent flametastic are welcome, though I would appreciate it if any constructive criticism you have is in fact posed in a constructive manner :P**

**Anyways, without further ado...**

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

"We told you this could happen!"

Manny snapped his head around to face the one who spoke. Amongst the amassed inhabitants of the valley, he recognised the aardvark as the same one who had challenged them the day before, only now his timidity was gone, replaced with anger. It didn't surprise him that the same mammal, now armed with apparent evidence, would be back on the verbal warpath.

"We told you this could happen!" The aardvark yelled again. "When you brought the humans into the village! You've brought this down on us!"

His eyes narrowed into slits, boring his glare into the aardvark, thinking _just one swipe can shut him up..._

He planted his face into his trunk, willing himself to calm down. He was at a loss how to explain; more so since he wasn't even sure _what _to explain. How could he? A supposed long dead sabre had returned for revenge a _day _after the humans had been taken in, only for the valley to be saved by a human with a firestick? The explanation sounded incredulous even to himself, and he had _seen _it; he couldn't expect them to believe the same story.

He longed for nothing more than to walk away, back to his home; he regretted even raising the matter with the village.

"Look," He spat. "The sabres weren't after the humans...in fact, if it weren't for the humans then we'd all probably be dead! _They_ fought them off! _They_ savedus! You should be thankful, maybe even grateful, we took them in. If they weren't here, you would have all been a sabre's feast right about now."

The crowd silenced considerably. At length, an antelope moved alongside the aardvark, submerging the mammal in her shade as the sun began to set. Inwardly, Manny felt relieved that the antelope - the village's elder and an old friend of his - would now do most of the talking.

"Manny," The antelope asked quietly. "Do not presume that Donovan's views are representative of us all; we are grateful that the sabre attack was driven off, and we thank your herd sincerely. But we must ask you this; do you, in your opinion, believe the valley to be safe? Are the sabres defeated, or will they return?"

He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He stood there, uncertain what to say, because his genuine opinion is that the valley isn't safe. Torn between two minds to speak soothingly - and falsely - or truthfully, he closed his mouth, choosing to remain silence.

The antelope smiled weakly in his direction, the smile not reaching her saddened eyes.

"I suspected as much," She murmured softly. Her tone changed entirely, filled with authority, as she turned to the village. "Even with the best efforts of our defenders, this valley is still in danger. My commendation as your elder is to prepare yourselves to migrate; we shall go to a safer land."

Manny fazed out of the conversation as the village gave its elder its consent and scattered. He let out a long, bitter sigh as the reality of the situation sank in;

The valley's inhabitants - people they had known and lived amongst for years - were leaving.

"Do not feel that our departure is your doing,"

He turned sharply, finding himself looking deeply into the elder's eyes. She smiled at him,

"You have done more for us than we would care to admit," She continued, beckoning him to walk with her. He duly obliged. "But this chapter in our lives has come to an end, my friend."

"I hope it isn't coming completely to an end," He replied earnestly. "Madam elder, I-"

He was cut off by the elder's sincere, unforced laugh,

"You are the only one who calls me that, Manny," She said cheerfully. Slowly, her expression changed into a more sombre expression. "And now a title that means little, if there is no village to care for."

Manny looked long and hard at the antelope, studying the look on her face. He knew the elder well; idle conversations - even over such topics - were not in her nature.

"Keira," He said, surprised at himself for using her actual name. "What's wrong?"

She slowed to a stop, the full force of her sad eyes drilling into Manny. He marvelled at the look; in all the years he had known her, he had never gotten used to seeing _that _stare. It was a stare that felt as if it could gaze into his soul, a feeling he would rather forego.

_Whatever you want to say, say it fast, _he said mentally at her.

"There are stories," She began, her voice so quiet he could barely hear her. "Stories being whispered around the village of some of our number having mysteriously disappeared into thin air..."

He blinked in surprise, unsure what to think.

_Mysteriously disappearing? _

The story sounded insane, even when compared to the events he had experienced in the past day. He would have considered it - and the person saying it - as crazy if anyone else had said it to him. But it was Keira - the village elder, one of the wisest people he knew - saying it; she was not insane, nor would she be quick to believe - let alone raise in conversation - insane ideas unless...

..._unless there was something behind them_, his mind finished for him.

Even before she continued, a cold dread welled up within him.

She smiled ruefully at him,

"I was as dubious of the notion, as you clearly are now, when I first heard it," She said. "But, as village elder, I felt it was necessary to investigate...and the stories seem to have some truth to them; twelve people are missing, for no discernible reason except for _where_ they were it seems."

The last part of the sentence grabbed his attention. His eyes met with hers,

"_Where _they were?" He quizzed.

"Indeed," She replied slowly, as if weighing up what to say. "Given the tale of the events you told me this afternoon, I have decided to bring it up with you, since there seems to be a correlation..."

"Which was?" Manny pressed.

She let out a heavy sigh,

"Yesterday afternoon, twelve of our number went to a watering hole just two miles out of the village. They never returned. In fact, there is no trace of them at all; no scents, no tracks, no evidence they had ever gone that way at all."

_Yesterday afternoon, _he thought, _when Diego found the humans._

Only Keira's slight chuckle alerted him to the fact that his jaw hung slack.

"I thought the timing would catch your attention," She said. She leant forward, giving him a gentle nudge. "Now go home, Manny - Ellie and the others must be worried sick about you, and you have much to tell and hear. As for me, well," She let out a small laugh. "I have an entire village to lead into exile."

He nodded absently, his mind still absorbing the information she had given her. He turned to leave, but stopped.

"Keira," He said quietly. "Thank you. For everything. Hopefully this isn't goodbye, but if it is, I just wanted to say it was an honour knowing you."

She smiled widely, the sadness once more returning to her eyes,

"The pleasure was all mine, old friend," She said. "But this is not goodbye, Manny; we will return once this crisis is over, as we always do..." Her smile broadened. "In fact, there's a saying of your people that fits what I say very well. You might know it; 'May Breda guide your ways till our paths cross again'."

He knew the phrase well; he had said it many a time to people whose paths he had never crossed with again. Whether from the memories the phrase brought up, from the news he had learnt, or the simple fact that Keira had bothered to learn the customs of a land - _his land - _that was hundreds of miles away purely because mammoths were in her midst, Manny felt tears welling in his eyes as he made his way back home.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Diego sat beside a small pond, looking on as everything around him shimmered into the radiant colours that came with the sun's setting. Green leaves turned seemingly gold, their glorious displays seen by Diego only in the rippled reflection of the water. All around him was silent, yet he could still hear the idle conversations of the herd in the distance.

He could also hear - and feel - the slow approach of a mammoth.

He smiled slightly as Manny's scent filled his nostrils, the far-off rumbling now nearby.

"How did the meeting go?" He asked aloud, his eyes never leaving the surface of the water.

"It went well," Manny said cheerfully. "Really, really well."

Diego turned slowly and looked at his friend.

"That bad, huh?" He said wryly.

Manny smiled broadly for a moment, seemingly trying to deny it. Almost as fleetingly, he slumped, a frown replacing the smile.

"Yeah, it was bad."

Diego let out a sigh.

"Okay," He murmured. "What happened?"

The mammoth didn't immediately reply, opting instead to shuffle himself to the ground beside him. It was only then, up close, that Diego finally _saw _Manny; the mammoth looked tired, agitated, and...

_sad. _It had been years since he had seen that expression on Manny's face, but he saw it now; it worried him.

"Well," He began. "As we guessed, the village has decided to migrate to somewhere else for as long as a pack of hungry sabres are around...but..."

_The village leaving isn't whats bothering him, _Diego noted with alarm.

"...but Keira told me something else," Manny continued, shuffling in his seat even as he spoke. "She told me that villagers disappeared into thin air at the same moment you said the...things...we found the humans in appeared."

Diego remained silent, staring incredulously at his friend. The story sounded illogical, unreasonable, _impossible_; people do not simply vanish.

"You mean they ran away?" He asked tentatively, hoping he had misheard him.

"I," Manny stuttered. "I don't know. A lot of weird things have happened these past two days."

"But people _disappearing?_" Diego retorted. "That doesn't even make sense!"

Manny looked at him, smiling ruefully,

"And long-dead sabres being fought off by magically appearing humans _is?" _He replied wearily.

Diego slumped,

"Point taken."

"Still," Manny said. "At least it gives us something to talk to over the campfire later!"

He shot the mammoth an odd look.

"And what makes you think the humans will know what's going on?" He quizzed.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

_Good question._

Behind his calm exterior, Manny was in turmoil. Too much had happened in too short a time for his liking, too many questions suddenly raised with too few answers to go around.

_Too much, _his mind protested. _Too much!_

His memories struggled against one another, vying to make sense of what he had experienced; sabres appearing for the first time in _years _at just the right time for objects he had never seen carrying humans unlike any he had encountered bearing firesticks of unimaginable power fending off a sabre he hd long thought dead.

_Too much! _His mind added once more.

Amongst the jumble of thoughts and emotions, one action returned to the forefront time and time again; that of his best friend, held down by sabres, begging for his life to be taken so that Peaches could be spared.

All thoughts of disappearing people and magically appearing humans ebbed from his mind;

_Diego was willing to die to save Peaches._

He found himself in a quandary; desiring to hug his friend, but knowing neither of them were comfortable with such displays of emotion.

_Do something, at least, _he chided himself.

He bided his time in silence, hoping some means of slipping it into the conversation would arise. Minutes passed before he realised that _he _would have to broach the subject.

_Oh boy..._

"I haven't had a chance to thank you for what you did," he finally blurted out.

Diego jerked his head slightly, as if snapped out of his thoughts,

"Huh?" The sabre mustered, his eyes conveying nothing but confusion.

"You know," Manny said awkwardly, "What happened this morning."

Diego smiled,

"Oh yeah, that," He replied sarcastically. His expression turned thoughtful, even serious. "You risked your neck as well buddy...more literally in your case,"

Manny saw Diego's eyes flicker to his neck, looking at the bandage. He had utterly forgotten about the wound Soto had given him until that moment. Seemingly, as if waiting to be remembered before hurting, his neck started to throb.

"True," He murmured. "But you offered yourself instead of Peaches. You didn't need to do that."

"But I did," Diego replied earnestly. "She's important to me too...and besides, it's what you do in a herd."

Emotions welled up in Manny, cracking through his calm exterior. He could see Diego tense up, as if preparing to dodge a hug. He knew he had to let the sabre know how he felt, but without destroying either the sabre's pride or his own dignity. Using every ounce of his will, he remained still, opting instead to look him keenly in the eyes.

_Say something!_ It was his thought, but in Ellie's voice. _Let him know how you feel!_

"You're one of the best friends a mammoth could ever have." He murmured quietly.

He shook his head; whilst true, it didn't match what he was trying to say.

_Come on Manny, _Ellie's voice said internally,_ just say it._

He took a sharp intake of breath, determined not to let the chance pass him by,

"You're the best…_brother_…a mammoth could ever have." He finally mustered.

He could see Diego blink in surprise; if he were honest, he was surprised too. He had never said anything so emotionally charged to anyone who wasn't his flesh and blood before.

But the thing that surprised him most was that it felt right to say; he had always referred to the herd as a family.

In a way - he reasoned - that made Diego his brother.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Diego remained silent, sensing that Manny hadn't finished.

"To be so willing to give up your own life to save my daughter like that...that's...that's..." Manny stammered, seemingly lost for words.

"...you're one in a million, Diego."

Diego felt torn between two responses. In all the years they had been friends, he had never heard Manny be as open and honest with how he felt before to anyone who wasn't Ellie. The fact he was doing so now caught him utterly off guard, but he knew he'd be lying to himself if he tried to believe that he didn't appreciate it;

Deep down, he knew that he felt the same way about Manny...

_All of them, in fact, _Diego noted to himself. _Even Sid._

But he still had his pride. The same pride that has ensured Sid never sat on top of him now stood in the way of his replying to Manny. He tried desperately to formulate words that matched the sentiment, but pride kept getting in the way. Eventually, he gave up and smiled,

"Thanks buddy," He said. "Right back at ya."

Manny returned the smile, much to Diego's relief; he knew that the mammoth knew him well enough to know that - once pride was accounted for - what he had said was the sabre's equivalent of a massive, tears-of-joy filled hug.

Both of them fell silent, savouring the peace and stillness of the valley. Diego looked out across the waters of the pool, watching as the sky began to turn darker and darker shades of blue.

"Anyway," Manny blurted awkwardly. "I'm going to head back; Ellie's probably worried sick about both of us by now. Are you coming?"

Diego kept his gaze fixed on the darkening horizon even as he heard - and felt - the mammoth get up. He let out a sigh, wondering what tonight, letalone tomorrow, would bring.

"Sure," He murmured. "I'll be with you in a moment."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The dying embers of the sun's light faded off of the highest point of the western cliffs when Diego and Manny came into view. Seeing them first, Ellie bounded out of the cave and down the hill, stopping short of a little stream that divided their cave from the rest of the valley. Even from a distance, she could see all she needed to know etched into Manny's face. She slumped,

"What happened?" She asked tentatively. "How did it go?"

Manny's eyes shot up in surprise. Instantaneously, the dour expression vanished behind a smile that Ellie instantly recognised.

"Ellie!" He exclaimed. "It went well, really really-"

"They're leaving, aren't they." She stated. It wasn't a question, and she saw the flicker of understanding in her mate's eyes. The dour expression had returned to his face almost as quickly as it disappeared.

"Yeah, they are," He replied bluntly. "Kiera decided that the village should migrate until the sabres have left."

Ellie's eyes widened. She had expected them to leave, but not over the sabre attack; they had beaten them off, and she knew they could do so again. She looked deeply into Manny's eyes, trying to divine an answer. All she found was confusion.

"Why?" She finally murmured.

Manny glanced away, his brow furrowed.

"Some...other things...have happened besides the sabre attack." He replied quietly.

Ellie shifted her gaze to Diego, her eyes pleading for an explanation. The sabre sighed,

"Twelve people apparently disappeared at the same time the humans arrived," He said, his tone faintly dubious. "And there's enough evidence to convince Kiera that something _else _is going on...and that the village should leave until that has passed as well."

She blinked.

"Disappeared?" She repeated numbly. "...you don't think the humans have anything to do with it, do you?"

Manny shook his head slightly,

"I don't know," He mussitated. "Nothing that's happened in the last day makes any sense...but it's hard _not_ to see a connection. They're leaving because of that and the sabres, and so are we when Claire's able to move...whenever that will be."

A knowing smile crept on her face,

"If that's so, then I have good news for you! Whilst you were gone she took a turn for the better; Claire's awake and moving...well, sort of moving. Anyways, it means we can leave tomorrow."

Manny's eyes scanned his surroundings with a pained expression before resting on Ellie.

"Chased from our home by long-dead sabres and ghost stories," He murmured bitterly. "Well that's just great."

She reached out her trunk, placing it gently on his left tusk.

"We'll be back in no time," She said, her tone more confident than she felt. "And you'll be able to get back to grumbling about Sid's laziness or my brothers' stupid games."

He smiled weakly,

"I hope so," He replied. "I sure hope so..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank stared at the campfire pensively. He knew the sloth - _Sid, _he corrected - had made the fire, but they raised yet more questions within him. He glanced across the fire to where Sid sat, his eyes half lidded out of sleepiness.

"Sid," He said. "How did you learn to make fire?"

In the corner of his eye, he could see Manny plant his face into his trunk,

"Oh no..." The mammoth murmured.

Sid, apparently oblivious to Manny's groaning, grinned widely,

"Ah! Well, with my sheer skill and my highly evolved brain, it was easy!" He exclaimed. "The story is long and full of bold steps by I, Sid, Lord of the Flame-"

Manny snorted,

"You did it by accident." He retorted derisively.

Sid glared at him,

"They didn't know that!" He snapped, before returning to Frank, laughing nervously. "He kids, he kids..."

Frank's gazed flickered to Diego, who silently mouthed; _He did it by accident. But play along, it will be easier that way._

He nodded slightly, appreciating the advice on how to extricate him from his own question. He smiled at Sid,

"Ok, highly evolved brain and sheer skill equals fire," He stated, sensing sarcasm slipping in even as he spoke. "Truly you must be a genius."

Sid straightened out, shooting an imperious gaze at Manny,

"See? The humans give me the right amount of respect! Maybe you should learn from them!"

"Maybe you should sit down and be quiet before I sit on you." Manny replied.

Sid laughed for a moment, only to be silenced by the mammoth's angry stare.

"All right! All right! Jeez, someone's in a mood!" The sloth protested as he sat down. Within moments he was silent. So silent in fact that Frank wondered if he had gone to sleep.

"Actually," Manny murmured, snapping Frank out of his reverie. "I was hoping _you_ would do some explaining, instead of Sid."

Frank smiled slightly,

"I thought you would," He replied. "Especially since, from your perspective, we must have come out of thin air."

He noted the interested glances Diego, Manny and Ellie shared between one another, as if holding conversations purely through the expressions on their faces.

"No," He heard Ellie whisper at Manny. "That's not what you want to ask first."

Frank leant forward, deciding with himself to pre-empt their queries.

"I imagine you all have a lot of questions, so I'll start with the most essential; namely who we are, and where we are from."

Everyone around the fire sat up, all their gazes now fixed on Frank. He glanced beside him at Claire and Ben, both of them giving him reassuring smiles. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, picturing mentally how to convey himself.

"Ok," He started. "As you probably have figured out by now, we are not from this area. Neither are we from this region, this continent or anywhere that can be found...at least not yet. Because..." He paused, knowing full well how his words were going to sound to them.

_Here goes nothing, _he thought acridly.

"Because...we are _not _from this time."

Bar Buck, every pair of eyes directed at him glazed over in confusion. Before he could be interrupted, he continued,

"We are part of an expedition of seven humans sent back twenty thousand years by humanity's leaders, from a time when humans are the dominant species on the planet. We are the first humans ever to have done so, and so we have been sent to see what effects time travel causes, and to study this world, observe all we see, and to go back and report our findings."

Silence hung over the camp as he finished speaking. He knew, from the varying looks around him, that it wasn't one of anger, or even fear; it was the silence of a group trying to process that which made no sense to them. He leant back and held his peace, waiting for the torrent of questions that would soon erupt.

"But," It was Ellie that first spoke, breaking the silence, "How? Why? I don't get it…"

"I'll second that." Sid piped up.

"It certainly explains why you three look and feel so different from the other humans we've met before." Manny murmured.

Frank looked at Manny in surprise. He let out a grunt,

"I thought it would have taken a little more explaining before you believed us," He admitted.

Manny shrugged,

"Nothing in the last day has made sense to me," He replied. "And this makes too little sense not to be true."

Frank gave him a lopsided smile, appreciating the meaning behind the words.

"Most things that are true tend to fall into that category." He stated.

"An' it explains why they can talk!" Buck said. "Twenty thousand years is plenty'a time ta learn."

Ben sat up,

"There are humans here?" He asked eagerly.

Diego nodded, "Yup."

Ben's eyes gleamed in the light, "And they can't talk?"

"Not even a peep." Sid said.

Ben looked wide eyed in interest, "I guess we must be as strange to you as you are to us!"

Ellie looked surprised, "What's so weird about us?" She quickly corrected herself after the rest of the herd gave her strange looks, "Ok, I meant what's so weird about us _besides_ the obvious."

"The fact you can speak," Claire said plainly. "In our time, only humans can speak."

_And the fact that we can __understand__ you, _Frank added silently. He made a note, if he ever returned to his own time, to investigate _why _that was so.

He snapped out of his thoughts and tuned back into the conversation, realising from the herd's expressions that every conceivable question looked set to erupt, much as he expected. He took in a deep breath and prepared himself. But before anyone could ask their queries, Manny cut through,

"So how is it that you have wound up here? In the ice age, I mean."

Frank glanced beside him, smiling at his wife,

"Would you like to start?" He asked.

Claire shot him a confused look,

"The story starts with you inventing the technology itself...doesn't it?"

He smirked, using all his willpower to suppress any expression that might give the truth away. Yet even with all his might, the memories of the truth strayed dangerously close to the surface.

"Maybe," He said quietly. "Or maybe it really started the day you and Ben decided to sign up..."

Clair's confusion deepened,

"You don't mean the night when…"

Frank nodded, answering her query.

"Are we gonna hear a story or not?" Crash, till then utterly - and uncharacteristically - silent, finally spoke up.

Claire smiled, relenting,

"All right then...so I guess this story starts three years ago on a hot summer's evening. I was at home, making the dinner…"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

A film of sweat had developed on Claire's forehead as she rushed through the kitchen, tending to the stove and its many pans and the oven. She grimaced as she wiped away the sweat with a tissue.

_A hot kitchen and a hot evening do not mix well, _she noted to herself ruefully. She scanned her surroundings, satisfied herself that nothing would burn for at least ten minutes, and retrieved a cold drink from the fridge, determined to rest for a moment. She glanced at the clock and let out a sigh;

Frank would be home any minute. It wasn't his return that bothered her; earlier that day, he had called her to let her know of his arrival at Heathrow. But she noted how angry, flustered, and weary he sounded; whatever had happened in New York, it hadn't gone well for Frank.

The last thought worried her, since she knew he had gone for an important meeting. He didn't mention why.

_"...has been announced in meeting earlier today. Let us now go to our science editor, Lauren Fields, who is with Frank Howard..."_

Claire sat upright, her attention now glued to the television screen. She let out a gasp as Frank - tired and haggard, but clearly Frank - appeared.

"What in the _world?"_ She muttered to herself.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Question," Crash interrupted, "What's a TV?"

All eyes glared at the possum.

"They're trying to tell a story." Ellie whispered harshly.

"Oh yeah," Eddie murmured apologetically, "Sorry."

Ellie turned back to Claire and smiled,

"What happened next?" She asked eagerly.

"Well," She continued. "So I sat there, watching in shock as Frank got interviewed...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_This can't be happening, _She thought to herself. It wasn't like Frank; every major decision he had made had always been discussed with her in all the time they had been married. But as she sat there, the television's volume now turned up as high as it could go, she listened with growing shock and horror as Frank explained a decision that she knew was one of the biggest, if not _the _biggest, he had ever made.

Without even mentioning it to her.

"_So, Mr. Howard,_" The reporter asked congenially, "_Earlier this afternoon you confirmed in the press conference that an expedition is going to happen. Do you have a destination set out?_"

"What expedition?" Claire spat, almost expecting Frank - even though he was on the screen and not there in person - to answer her.

Instead, he smiled,

"_There is no fixed destination as of yet, but we are looking at a few possible locations, such as-"_

Claire slammed her hand onto the television remote, switching the tv off. She had heard enough. She remained motionless, too angry to even move.

_How could you let me find out like this?_ She asked Frank mentally. _How could you?_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank shuffled uncomfortably in his seat as Claire spoke, sensing the pressure of the judgemental gazes falling upon him. He wanted to explain, yet found the old fears attached to it still to strong to overcome, even twenty thousand years away from his own time;

_What if they make good their threat._

"How could you, Frank?" Ellie asked.

He swallowed hard, at a loss as to how he could explain.

"I...ah..." He said falteringly. All eyes still bored into him.

"I had some problems," He mustered. "Issues with groups wanting to use the technology."

"Problems?" Ellie pressed.

"...the expedition was my attempt at solving the problem, once and for all." He lied. He knew it wasn't his idea, just as much as it solved nothing. "It was a last minute agreement, one made in New York."

The judgmental stares abated slightly, but not entirely.

"So anyway," He said quickly. "I was on my way home, and I knew I was in for trouble..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank sat wearily in the back of a taxi, gazing absently out of the window, staring at the London skyline in the distance and smiled ruefully. In his mind's eye, he added the silhouettes of skyscrapers that had once been a part of the vista, destroyed long before in the Troubles; the Shard, Tower 42, the Heron Tower...

Buildings that had captured his imagination as a child.

Buildings he had seen blasted to smithereens in the chaos of war as a man.

"All just forgotten names in some history book now." He muttered to himself.

His smile grew more rueful as he pondered the London that he saw and the one he remembered, appreciating fully that he felt as broken as the once-great city was:

His body protested angrily at the time difference, convinced it was still noon even as the sun had started to set. His emotions had been battered and crushed. His mind roiled with all the scenarios he anticipated walking into as soon as he reached his home.

He felt broken in every way possible.

Worse, he knew it would be years before it went away.

_What else could i have done? _he asked himself.

His attention drifted to the driver as the taxi slowed down. He briefly glanced out, noted the guns, uniforms and concrete barriers, and promptly turned away in disdain; he had seen enough military checkpoints in his time to never want to see one ever again. The soldier - not much older than a teenager, Frank reckoned - gestured for the windows to open.

"I need to see some identification and permissives for both you and your passenger, sir." The soldier said flatly.

Lacking the sufficient permissives - permissions to travel freely outside of the capital - the driver duly gave him an equally persuasive gift, and were duly let through. Frank let out a sigh, both relieved and disgusted; relieved that the military, in all its power, had grown corrupt...but also disgusted that he needed _permission_ to travel. He glanced behind him, watching the checkpoint vanish into the distance, before looking at the driver,

"I remember a time when we had a right to travel everywhere." He murmured.

The driver grunted,

"Just a pipe dream now, mate," He replied gruffly. "These military folk are gonna risk us civilian types the chance of rising up again...and I'm not sure I would join 'em even if they did."

"Why?" He asked.

The reflection of the driver's steely gaze bored into Frank.

"I lost my sister in the Troubles," He said bluntly. "Got killed on Westminster Bridge in the early days of the war...some idiot decided they were a threat and killed 'em all on sight...hope he rots in hell for that...but anyways, much as I hate these circumstances, at least there's been peace for ten years now."

Frank glanced away and affected a stony gaze, hoping it would hold back the tears.

"Those who fought in the streets for freedom might disagree with you," He replied mutedly.

"I'm sure they would," The driver stated ruefully. "But the difference between them and me is that they're all dead and I'm not...a hundred thousand lives, all for nothing."

Frank remained silent, not trusting himself at that moment. He glanced over at the driver's badge and wilted on the inside; Matthias Willoughby. The name rang a bell, but he couldn't figure out why...

_The landlord of the King's Head, _he realised. _He knew Sam...me...my dad. He lived near us before it all happened._

He tore his gaze away from the licence and back to the vista beyond the window, tears silently welling in his eyes, grateful that Matthias didn't recognise him.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Eventually, his home hove into view and the taxi slowed to a stop. He paid Matthias the correct amount of credits and a hefty tip, which he accepted gratefully. Within moments he stood alone, staring at his home, and knowing he was in a world of trouble.

He stove there for a while, pondering what he could say that wouldn't wind him up with a pan in his face.

Minutes passed, yet he came up with nothing.

"A pan to the face it is then," He mused sardonically.

He strolled up to the door, placed his hand on the handle, and paused to take a deep breath. Then another. And another.

_Just do it!_ His mind screamed.

Finally, with a sheepish smile on his face, he opened the door.

"Hey Claire!" He called out. "I'm home!"

The silence that welcomed him said it all; he knew then that Claire had found out. A pan was most _definitely _going to be meeting his face within moments.

As quietly as he could, he took of his jacket. He reached out to place it on the nearest hook when his ear drums seemingly burst,

"YOU!"

He swivelled on his heel, sending his jacket skidding across the floor. He found himself face to face with his wive, her eyes as fiery as her voice was bellicose.

"Hey Claire," He murmured, giving her a slight smile. The fire in her eyes seemed to grow brighter.

"DON'T YOU HEY CLAIRE ME!" She yelled. "How dare you do this to..."

Words assailed him at a speed he had never thought possible till that moment. He stood there numbly, absorbing the screams and bellows and incomprehensibly-merged words that had formed into streams of barely-understood consciousness. Though he understood virtually none of what was said, he recognised the tone; anger, but not truly anger.

_Fear_. He thought. _She's scared._

He kept his mouth shut; he knew, as much as she did, that she had every right to be enraged. She ploughed on, screaming for longer than he had thought even feasible. He resisted the urge to check his watch, even as he wondered how much more it could possibly last...or whether her lungs, his eardrums, or his will to live would be capable of sustaining the tirade for much longer.

Time seemed to stop, yet Claire's rant held as strong as it had started.

Eventually - after what felt like an eternity - his already exhausted patience waned. He stared at her.

"Why is this bothering you so much?" He snapped. "If this were anything else - if i had decided we were moving to someplace like Canada or that I re-enlisted with the army - this argument would have been over in five minutes, and they are equally big decisions! So don't give you me that bollocks about all of this being just about me not telling you first," He paused. "So _you_ tell _me_ Claire, what is really going on here?"

Claire froze, taken aback by his forceful words. As he suspected, the anger was a front. Claire looked at him, all rage gone from her, replaced by the fear that had been there all along. She half crossed her arms, using one to hold the weight of the other as she held her hand to her face, as if trying to keep calm. Even in the relative dimness of the hallway, he could see the glint of tears in her eyes.

"It bothers me," She spoke slowly, her tone forcibly calm. "That you have decided to go on this thing without considering the very real possibility that you would be leaving a widow and an orphan behind," Tears streaked silently down her face, her gaze still fixed on him. "It bothers me that you might not come back, and Ben would grow up without you to be there for him, and God only knows what will happen to us if you are gone. It's not like the government will care if we starve to death."

She trailed off, her eyes probing him questioningly.

"Why didn't you think of us?" She whispered pleadingly. "Why are you doing this?"

His heart hurt within his chest at the words. Claire was right, and he knew she was.

But he couldn't answer her question; he had been sworn to secrecy with the severest threats made should he break it.

He gently wrapped his arms around his wife, both of them holding each other as they silently wept.

"I'm sorry," He whispered. "I'm really, truly sorry, but I have to go..."

"Can we come with you, then?"

Both of them spun around and stared at the staircase in surprise at Ben.

"You want to go with me?" Frank mustered.

Ben smiled,

"Yeah," He said. "I'd get to go see real live _dinosaurs_! Or _mammoths_! Or _something_! I'd get to travel through time! That would be so cool!"

Claire looked at Frank with interest,

"Would we be able to join you?" She asked.

"Yes," He said instantly; after all, he reasoned, the powers that be had permitted him to choose his own team. "You most certainly, undoubtedly, unreservedly can."

A new thought popped into his head. He smiled,

"And just think of all that plant life that no one has ever seen - letalone catalogued - before," He said enticingly. "I can just see it now, 'Claire Howard: world-celebrated botanist."

"You know, I'm still annoyed at you," She said even as she smiled slightly. "And I do want an explanation someday as to why you decided this without me."

He nodded,

"You will get an explanation," He promised. "Someday...so, should I take the absence of a no in your reply as a yes?"

She grinned,

"You make many assumptions, Francis David Howard," She said teasingly. "But yes, yes I will. If you and Ben are going, then so am I."

Relief exploded out of him as he engulfed her in his arms.

"Thank you," He murmured. "Thank you..."

"I love you Frank," Her muffled voice said, emanating from somewhere around his chest.

"I love you too, both of you," He replied, shooting a wide grin at his son.

Almost immediately, as Claire said yes, their son started springing through the house, shouting out of pure excitement. He laughed as Ben spun around them,

"I think this calls for a celebration!" He said.

"I think you're right," She said, smiling. "But how about we have dinner first?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"What happened next?" Ellie quizzed.

Frank glanced around, surprised at how enrapt the herd was at their story. He shared an amused glance at Claire,

"Seems we're better at storytelling than we thought," He whispered quietly.

She chuckled,

"Seems so." She replied.

"So what did happen next?" Manny said pointedly.

Frank leant back slightly,

"We started getting everything prepared," He replied. "We got the equipment and the personnel...it all came together quite nicely...well, till the death threats anyway."

"Death threats?" Sid repeated in shock. "Why?"

"Various groups of people had decided that our expedition would unravel time and destroy the universe," Claire replied acidly.

Frank reached out his hand to clasp hers. She was shaking with anger, one he shared.

"But whatever they believed," She continued. "It doesn't justify at all what they tried to do…"

"What happened?" Manny asked inquisitively.

Frank looked into the distance, his eyes glazing over as the memories returned to him.

"They tried to kill us," He murmured. "They tried to kill all three of us...and very nearly succeeded."

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**  
**End of Chapter 7**  
**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

**Thanks for reading! As always, please review!**

**By the by, if you are reading this for the first time and it happens to be july/august 2011, please dont be shocked when you click on the next chapter and it looks utterly different...i am in the process of rewriting/editing chapters 1-19 to match the style of the later chapters...and also to develop the story a little better now that I know _what _the story even is! Please do bear with it if you have chanced upon this story before I have had the chance to fully revise it!**

**Till chapter 8, adieu **


	8. Campfire Stories Part 2

**Hello everyone!**

**Sorry for the wait on this rewrite! I had to save this until I could upload it with all the extra chapters so that the continuity doesn't suddenly become skewed! Thanks for all the really positive reviews, it's great to hear you are enjoying this as much as I am writing it! **

**Oh, and good news! Since the last upload, my back has become markedly better; am walking again! Mind has become clearer too, so hopefully future chapters will be less cloudy :) **

**As always, please review! (Any criticism you may have, please ensure it is **_**constructive**_**, i.e. positive; one can critique something positively, and it will ensure I take it onboard much more willingly :))**

**Without further ado...**

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

Shocked silence hung over the herd as Frank's words echoed in their minds. Manny looked around him, sharing shocked glances with all who could see him. Questions bubbled up in him, but they refused to formulate into sentences, no matter how often he tried to speak.

"Question," Sid said, breaking the silence. "Why would the plant life be the thing that got you interested in this expedition, Claire?"

Manny stared at him in disbelief. Sid quickly noted the glances aimed in his direction and shrugged,

"What?" He said.

"They tell us they got death threats, and you want to hear about Claire's interest in _plants_?" Manny spluttered.

"It's ok, Manny," Claire said softly, before smiling slightly at Sid,

"In answer to your question, that would be because I am a botanist."

"A what?" Sid replied.

"It means I study plants, recording all the types and kinds I see so that humanity has a greater knowledge of the world it lives in." She answered slowly.

"Well, as fun as hearing your plant love is…" Crash muttered,

"…Can you please tell us about the near-death? That sounds awesome!" Eddie finished his sentence, giving Crash a high five.

Manny shot them both a glare, silencing them instantly.

Frank shuffled in his seat, drawing his attention back to him. Manny noted the suddenly weary - almost angry - glint in the human's unfocussed eyes. He slumped slightly, recognising the look;

he knew - whatever it was - the human was reliving it.

A part of him, deep down, regretted ever asking.

Frank cleared his throat and smiled, his eyes still retaining a hint of distance,

"Six months after the expedition was announced, we had picked our team and tried to keep it quiet...until someone leaked the details of who was going," His voice sounded forcibly calm, to the point of being strained. "Just hours after it leaked to the world we started to receive death threats; people of every creed and affiliation started stating it was better to kill our expedition rather than let us conduct the mission and risk killing everyone,"

Manny shuffled uncomfortably in his spot as Frank's voice lost its calm edge, his anger now underlining every word.

"And then, one day, someone tried to make good on the threat," He growled. "They decided the best way to end the expedition before it began was to end myself, Claire and Ben..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank's day had started off as normally as it could have; he woke up, dodged the protestors outside his house, drove into the Directorate of London, passed through several military checkpoints as he reached Lewisham, drove past several _hundred_ picketing protestors, swerved the car to avoid a brick, and finally arrived at the chaos that was the heavily guarded compound in which his expedition was preparing...whilst dodging several hundred more picketing protestors.

_Normal. Utterly, utterly normal_, he thought ruefully to himself.

He greeted several mechanics, chatted idly with one of the security staff as he filled a cup with coffee, and immediately withdrew towards his office in search of a modicum of peace...

"Good morning!" Sam said brightly, already slumped into his office's sofa as he entered the room.

He let out a sigh, quickly checking his watch, and gave his overly cheerful sister a weary look.

"Sam, it's eight in the morning," He grumbled. "It's too early for your overpowering good cheer."

She smiled at him,

"You say that regardless of the time," She replied. "So I thought I would just make you miserable anyway. After all, what else are little sisters for?"

"Oh joy," He said dryly. He dropped himself into his chair, relishing its softness. Now that he was at least comfortable, he turned back to Sam and smiled, only to pause mid motion as the stacks - and yet more stacks - of paper came to his attention.

"Ah...indulging in a little light reading?" He asked, gesturing towards the mountains of paper.

"Sort of," She replied, her smile faltering slightly. "It's today's post. I thought I would take the liberty of dividing it into two piles; Death threats," She gestured towards the mountain of paper. "And letters that aren't death threats," She gestured towards an empty spot on the floor.

"How thoughtful of you to go to all that effort," He said, smiling wryly. "So, any good examples of humanity's insanity come through today?"

She chuckled ruefully,

"About a mountainful," she replied. "Most from religious groups who seem to have gotten into their heads that the biblical command of 'do not murder' somehow doesn't apply to them...there is one of interest, though."

Frank sat up,

"Oh really?" He stated in morbid curiosity.

Sam's smile weakened into a near frown, lifting a letter from the coffee table in front of her,

"Here, see for yourself."

He leant forward ambivalently, taking the letter from her hands. He studied the envelope as he did so. He shot a confused glance at Sam,

"This one doesn't have a stamp." He said.

She nodded slowly,

"It means it was delivered by hand," She replied quietly. "Which means it had to have been delivered this morning."

_Who would run the risk of delivering a death threat by hand?_ He thought. His eyes widened. _Unless..._

He set his half-empty cup of coffee on the table, ripping the envelope almost to shreds in his determination to read the letter. He unfolded the paper, scanning it intently;

_Your heart and soul will die as the clock strikes four. The death of the few to save the many._

He read it again. And again. And again.

"Damnit," He growled. "No hint as to where or to whom."

"If they put that in, then it wouldn't be much of a threat," Sam mussitated. "Do you think this one is actually serious?"

Frank looked up, staring grimly at his sister,

"They delivered it by hand and have actually put a _specific_ time," He replied. He held the letter up. "I think we might just have had our first seriousthreat."

Sam slumped,

"I thought as much."

He leant back in his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling as the words rolled through his mind.

He let out a bitter sigh, realising he had a long - very long - day ahead of him.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"I don't care how hard it will be!" He bellowed down the phone. "I want more guards both at the complex and wherever an expedition member is present, and I want them there before three pm! Or do I need to call the secretary general himself?"

A knocking on his office door distracted him. He spun around, now facing Terry and Sam, both milling awkwardly outside the door. He gestured them to come in, paying little heed to the response on the other line. He glanced up at the clock on his wall and grimaced.

_Eleven already? How long have I been on the phone? _

Remembering the phone in his hand, he turned his attention back to the voice,

_"...no need at all to call the Secretary General! I will have more guards with all expedition members before three."_

"Good," He stated coldly. "Thank you, goodbye."

He slammed the phone back onto its receiver, collapsed into his chair, and massaged his temples in the hopes his headache would go away.

"Those security brats giving you some trouble, boss?" Terry murmured as he sat on the sofa.

Frank let out a mirthless chuckle,

"Apparently there's not enough to spare," He replied. "Well...until I mentioned the secretary general of the UN, and then suddenly he had guards to spare."

"You should open all of your requests with that line," Sam said insinuatingly. "Why do you have a direct phone line to the Secretary General anyway?"

He turned away briefly, pretending to read a note on his desk.

"He's interested in the scientific possibilities of this technology," He lied. "And so he wants to ensure we have all that is required for it to be a complete success."

He kept his eyes focussed on the note in front of him, waiting to see if they bought what he said.

"Well, that's good of him," Sam said. "Nice to know the all-powerful, all-corrupt UN still has a good side after all."

He stifled the urge to sigh in relief.

"So what is going on to deal with this threat, boss?" Terry quizzed. "I ain't all keen on us getting blown up after all."

He swerved in his chair, looking in Terry's vague direction.

"They are sending more guards here, more guards to protect Charlie and Nigel up in Manchester, and more guards to my home."

Terry whistled in surprise,

"You sure ain't taking any chances, are ya boss!"

"Wouldn't it make more sense to get them all here?" Sam asked. "It would be easier to protect us all that way."

"No," Frank said firmly. "I am not going to risk putting us all huddled together so that one well placed bomb can kill us all in one go. It's safer this way."

She sighed, curling into Terry's arms,

"I guess you're right," She murmured. "...what a crappy situation."

"Crappy isn't quite the word I'd use," He murmured.

He glanced at the clock,

_Ten past eleven, _he thought, _five hours left._

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

He had gotten no work done that day, his mind firmly fixed on the threat. He alternated between pacing, staring blankly and shouting down the phone. He kept checking his watch, feeling trapped by his circumstances.

He leant back on his chair, staring out of his window at the hangar below, bristling with people and noise and work.

Looking on at the mechanics busily refining their trucks, machines and designs, all he could think of was the threat.

_Why has this rattled you so badly? _He asked himself.

They received death threats all the time, he reasoned, so why had this one rattled him? They had put up with them for almost eight months since someone had leaked the details of the expedition's members...

But he knew that this threat was different; that this one was too specific, too oddly handed over, to be a mere threat made out of ignorant rage at the use of an ill understood technology.

_That, _he knew, was why it had gotten under his skin.

He snapped out of his thoughts as virtually all motion in the hangar below stopped, all faces turned towards a select few places. Leaning forward to get a better view, he realised they were all staring at the radios scattered across the hangar. As he saw Sam turn to run towards the stairs, he spun around and switched on his radio, switching to the channel he knew the mechanics liked to listen to.

_"...gunshots have been heard, and there are unconfirmed reports of bodies laying in the streets. Police sources suggest that this may be the home of Frank Howard, the leader of the controversial first expedition through time..."_

The door slammed open behind him,

"They're after Claire and Ben!" Sam shouted. "The threat is _real_!"

He jumped to his feet, checking his watch as he followed Sam out of the door.

"They're early," He stated. "It's not even quarter past three-"

"You ordered more guards to be there by three," Sam interrupted as they sprinted down the stairs. "Their arrival might have sped things up."

_Bodies on the streets..._

He grabbed the handrail, his sense of balance suddenly abandoning him.

_The guards I ordered there to protect us...are dead on the streets._

"I need to get to them," He said. "I need to get there now!"

Terry gestured in his direction, grabbing his attention. Somehow, without him noticing, they had rolled up two of their trucks towards the edge of the hangar.

"We're ready to go and kick some ass, boss," Terry shouted. "But we gotta move now!"

He broke into a run, stopping briefly to grab a security guard by the shoulder,

"Get hold of the security company, tell them what's happened," He stated.

"But sir!" The guard protested. "You can't go! Think of the risk-"

"My wife and son will die if we do nothing," He shouted fiercely. "And so, with respect, I don't care about the risk to me or these trucks if it means I can keep them alive. Now get hold of the security company!"

Frank didn't wait to hear the guard's response. He jumped into a truck, reached for the pistol strapped to the inside of the car door, and screeched the tires as he rushed to keep up with Terry and Sam, both in the truck ahead. Protesters jumped out of their way in panic as they sped past.

He didn't contemplate the risk they were taking; not only of risking the expedition's trucks, but also their lives, in such a move. He didn't care; his son, and his wife were in danger.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It took them longer than he had wanted to get home; they still needed to stop at every military checkpoint if they wanted to remain unriddled with bullets. When he finally screeched the truck to a stop - slamming the brakes so hard he tore the carpet beneath it - the sight utterly took his breath away.

His house was destroyed; his porch, bay window, and virtually everything around it had been perforated and shattered by gunfire. Every windowpane seemed shattered, its glass scattered all over the floor...

_My God, _he exclaimed mentally.

His front garden was strewn with three dead bodies - all garbed in the security uniforms he had seen countless times - all arrayed in the undignified postures of death. Police cars - equally damaged by gunfire - were scattered across the street, parked at odd angles. Even from his vantage point, he could see yet more bodies laying around the cars. Officers all hid behind their cars, guns pointed towards his house.

He took in a deep breath, unable to take in all the carnage; it felt surreal, like some fragmented memory of the Troubles...

He jumped as Terry slammed on his door.

"Come on, boss!" He yelled. "We ain't got the time!"

He checked his watch, cursing under his breath.

_Six minutes until four pm._

He jumped out of the truck, slipping the pistol holster onto his belt as he did so. He glanced grimly at Terry and Sam, relieved to note that both of them were wise enough to have kept any weaponry on them _subtle._

In the corner of his eye, he could see something move towards them.

"Get out of here!" A police officers shouted, panting as moved closer. "This area isn't safe for civilians. I must ask you to leave."

"That is _my_ house," Frank said, gesturing towards the ruined building. "You have to let me through!"

"I'm sorry sir," The officer stated. "But until we have negotiated with them, you cannot pass."

"They _won't_ negotiate!" He retorted. "They want me, and my family, _dead_. And they will be in," He checked his watch. "Four minutes _unless_ you let me pass."

The officer hesitated.

"I'm sorry, sir, but you cannot pass." He said firmly.

"Hey, officer, can I have a word?" Terry said.

The officer turned towards him, only to fine Terry's fist landing squarely in his jaw. The man practically spun on the spot and crumpled to the ground. Frank stared at the limp form on the floor, then up at Terry in shock.

"We ain't got the time for pussyfooting!" He grumbled, shaking his hand as if in pain. "We need to get in there boss! Less than four minutes!"

Within moments, he was sprinting towards his destroyed front door, hearing the equally rushed footsteps of Terry and Sam following in his wake. Behind him he could hear enraged shouts from police officers, ordering them to back away, but he paid them no heed.

_I'm coming Claire, _he thought, _I'm coming Ben, don't die on me yet!_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-_

Claire held Ben tightly in her arms, glaring at their captors through tear streaked eyes. She didn't know she could hate anyone till that moment; she hated the two men standing over her. She hated the fact they were security guards, hated the fact they had been protecting them for months. Hated the fact she had actually invited them to dinner in thanks just two weeks before...

_All that time, and they were planning this. _

The thought disgusted her more than she could possibly conceive.

"We trusted you," She spat at them. "We trusted you with our lives."

"And I will take them gladly, whore of satan." One of them replied coldly.

"Why?" She hissed. "What have we ever done to you to deserve this?"

The one who had spoken knelt down, levelling an icy stare - and his pistol - at her.

"It is not what you have done, but what you are going to do," He replied. "Time travel is an abomination against God's creation. We do his work in killing you. The few to save the many."

"Monster." Claire spluttered, spitting into his face. He recoiled a moment, wiped his face, and slapped her so hard she crashed onto the wooden floor. She quickly straightened herself, holding Ben ever tightly to her.

She clamped her eyes shut, willing for something - anything - to save them.

_Or, if not me, then save Ben, _she pleaded mentally. _Please can something...anything...save Ben._

The man glanced at his watch, giving her a cruel smile,

"It's almost four," He said cooly. "Any last words, whore?"

"Go to hell, bastard." She growled.

"That is precisely where I plan on sending you." He replied.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank stood on the stairs, hearing the entire exchange. His heart pounded on his ribcage, feeling a fool for not realising;

_Our own guards._

His mind reeled; people he had trusted - had even considered as friends - now stood over his wife and son, preparing to kill them. He glanced at Terry and Sam, silently ordering them up the stairs. They now stood beside the doorframe, waiting for him to move. He felt rage building up within his chest, and it forced himself to pause;

_rage could get everyone killed, _he thought.

He took several deep breaths. The several more.

He shot a glance at Terry and Sam, mouthing one word silently at them;

_NOW!_

He dived to the ground, as Terry and Sam jumped into positions where they could get a clear shot. As he crashed to the floor, he could feel time almost visibly stopping as adrenaline adrenaline coursed through his body. Within moments he had his pistol trained on one of the legs of the guards and opened fire before slamming into the floor. His shoulder screamed in pain, but he paid no attention to it as he stared at the guards, both of them felled by two more bullets, aimed specifically for the legs.

_We want you to stand trial,_ he thought angrily at them, _no martyrdom for you today._

The guards screamed in agony, writhing in pain across the floor. He scrambled to his feet, stepped over the flailing guards, and scooped his family into his arms, crying with them as he did so.

"It's ok, it's ok," He whispered. "We're here, you're safe, it's ok..."

"You," Sam growled behind him.

He turned to find his sister staring angrily down at one of the guards. The man froze in his flailing, looking up at her in terror.

"Unlike your pathetic excuse of a faith, I _am_ a Christian," She growled at him. "And the bible says do _not_ kill. Ponder that when you rot in jail," A slight, mischievous smile crept onto her face. "It is, however, a little fuzzy about kneecaps..."

She shot him in his other knee, eliciting another scream of pain.

"_That's _for trying to kill my family." She stated.

Moments later, the room was flooded with police officers, all of them screaming. Sam, Terry and Frank, unwilling to get shot, immediately placed their weapons on the floor.

"POLICE, DON'T MO-!"

The officer at the front paused mid motion - and mid sentence- as he surveyed the scene before him. Frank recognised the bruised face as the same man Terry had punched.

Besides the black eye, he looked distinctly relieved.

Frank gave him a weary smile,

"Is there a problem, officer?" He asked in a rough approximation of breeziness.

Too much had happened for him to care about his brazen attitude to the police;

His family was safe, and that was all that mattered to him.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The herd sat in rapt silence, eyes eagerly following both his, Claire's and Ben's every word and move. Eventually, they stopped talking, allowing him a much welcomed chance to lean back against the wall. Several silent moments had passed before the herd realised that the story had finished. Suddenly, the whole camp exploded in noise,

"Dude, that was AWESOME!" Crash and Eddie squealed excitedly.

"Good job!" Diego stated.

"And so brave!" Ellie said.

Manny looked at her, levelling an incredulous stare in her direction,

"What?" She asked.

"I seem to recall a certain possum once telling me that bravery is just dumb." He said playfully.

"Yeah, you're right, a _possum_ once said that, and she meant it then," She replied, a mischievous smile creeping onto her face. "As a _mammoth_ she thinks brave is a good thing to be."

"So what happened to them?" Diego asked keenly.

He cast the sabre a bewildered glance, unsure of which 'them' he referred to.

"…We…_lived_…?" he said slowly, confusion rife in his voice.

Diego let out a chuckle, shaking his head in amusement,

"Not what happened to you guys, but to the guards!"

Suddenly realising the sabre's meaning, he blushed slightly, chiding himself for not seeing such an obvious link.

"Ah...well, that would make a little more sense..." He muttered, shuffling in his spot out of embarrassment.

"They we're tried and convicted, and are now spending the rest of their lives in prison." Claire replied firmly.

"Prison?" Manny quizzed. "What's prison?"

He chuckled, realising just how much he would need to explain...and re-explain...for the idea to stick.

_Do I spend all night teaching them about our judicial system, our laws and our penal institutions? _He asked himself sarcastically.

..._some other time, perhaps._

"Something you will never need to know," He replied. "But it's somewhere you don't want to go to."

"So what happened next?" Ellie asked, cutting through Manny's queries. Crash and Eddie stop their antics and immediately paid attention.

He opened his mouth to speak, but it was Ben's voice that echoed through the camp.

"After dad, Auntie Sam and Uncle Terry saved the day, they talked a lot about what to do next. Everyone pretty much said the same thing...that we should still go ahead with it...because, if we stayed, there could have been another time."

He heard his son's voice grow thick and wrapped his arms around him, feeling his dry sobbing against his chest.

Manny studied him, his expression virtually entirely neutral.

"And, even after all that, you guys still decided to go ahead with it?"

He gave him a weary smile,

"Seemed to make sense to get as far away from the people that wanted to kill us. Twenty thousand years in the past seemed like a good enough bet."

"Question," Diego said pensively. "You mentioned other people in your story-"

"Sam, Terry, Nigel and Charlie," Frank interrupted.

"Right, those guys," Diego continued. "I gotta ask...where are they?"

_Good question, _he mused. He shot his head around the camp, suddenly aware of the glaring absences he hand't noticed. He felt like a fool - too exhilarated and confused by the day passed - for not noticing. He shot a confused glance at Claire,

"Good question," He repeated, aloud this time. "Where are they?"

Claire's smile tightened into a frown.

"I don't know," She replied. "Their truck crashed right beside ours, but we were the only humans they found."

Diego coughed, dragging his attention back to him.

"Humans weren't the only thing we found there," He said carefully. "We picked up scents that could only have come from sabres."

Wearied and worn out though he was, he found himself on his feet in a split second,

"Sabres?" He spat. "As in the same ones that nearly killed all of you this morning?"

Diego nodded,

"Yeah," He replied. "Them."

Horrific visions of sabres eating Sam, Charlie and Nigel filled his vision.

Horrific-yet-oddly-satisfying images of Terry suffering a similar fate also reeled through his mind.

It was enough; he had to find them.

"Diego, I need you to take me to the crash site," He stated bluntly as he reached for his rifle.

He could see the herd exchanging confused glances in his periphery vision.

"Right now?" Diego said, incredulity tinging his voice.

He froze, staring aghast at the sabre.

"Yes, _now_!" He snapped, gesturing wildly towards the darkness beyond the camp. "The rest of my expedition is out there, possibly captured - or worse - by sabres, and you want me to _wait?"_

Anger rose up in him as he saw the wary glances being exchanged. He stared at them, his jaw hanging slack in disgust. He barely felt Buck jumping onto his back.

It should have been encouraging to him, but all he felt was anger;

_The only one of them willing to help is the only one I didn't have to save, _he noted acridly.

"Seriously?" He spat. "Just because they aren't a member of your precious herd, you're not going to help me?"

Almost instantly, Manny's eyes fell upon him, his brow furrowed over a fierce glare. He knew then that had struck a chord.

"We didn't say we weren't gonna help!" Manny retorted. "But, with that kinda attitude, i'm not sure I wanna."

He took a step forward, gripping the grip of his rifle intently. He knew, from the shrinking terrified faces of the possums, that he looked as menacing as he had wanted.

"There were four other people in this expedition. One of them is my sister. I am not going to just sit here in comfort whilst she is in danger," He growled. "Or are you trying to tell me that, even after we humans saved you...after _I _saved you...you're going to just sit here and not help? Can you live with the knowledge you might have let four people die just because it was _dark?_"

The mammoth scowled, looking briefly to the ground.

"Alright, fine," Manny muttered through gritted teeth. "We'll help you, human."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Terry sat beside the fire, his hands cradling one of Sam's. He looked at her, studying her features for the hundredth time that day, willing her to wake up. He scanned around him, noting the usual array of disinterested-yet-watchful gazes that followed his every move, and sighed.

He had known, even from the snippets of angered conversations he had heard over the course of the day, _why_ the raid had failed; the description was unmistakably Frank.

"Well who else could it be," He murmured aloud. "Only one other gun hand in this posse, and there ain't no other humans about."

He could see Charlie turn towards him in the corner of his eye,

"Sir?" Charlie quizzed.

"Was Frank that pasted 'em this mornin'," He repeated, meeting Charlie's stare. "Ain't no doubt about it."

"Ah, so you know this human?"

He snapped around, catching a glimpse a Soto's sneer illuminated by the fire's harsh glow.

"Yeah, boss," He replied. "He's one of ours; he's the expedition's leader."

Even as he maintained eye-contact with Soto, he could see shapes moving beyond the firelight. He sensed rather than saw their motions, pulse racing beneath his cool exterior.

_What the hell are they up t..._

He spun his head around and back to Soto; beyond the light, sabres had surrounded them.

Soto sneer curled into a cruel grin as he gestured with his paw,

"Seize her."

He lunged for his gun, but he felt dozens of strong paws pin him to the ground. He heard Charlie and Nigel shout and scuffle, but before long the struggle had ceased. He glanced desperately at Sam, seeing her dragged away from him.

"Let go of her, asshole!" He screamed, using all of his might to try and escape his captors, but to no avail.

"Ah, but why would I do that, Terry?" Soto replied coolly. "Why give up my most..._convincing..._hostage."

His heart thundered against his ribs as Sam was dragged further and further away from him. Surrounded by sabres and pinned to the ground, he weighed his options. He knew armed resistance was impossible, or resistance of any kind; anything he did could end up with Sam - and everyone else - dead. He could hear Sam's warning echo in his mind, now rueing his dismissal of it;

_He wants your soul._

He swallowed hard, looked up at Soto, and sighed,

"Whatever you want from me, I'll do," He murmured. "Just don't hurt Sam."

Soto gave him a smile with no warmth,

"A wise choice, human," He stated. "In return for your mate's life, this is what I ask of you."

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

**End of Chapter 8**

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

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**Till chapter 9, adieu!**


	9. Collision

Diego tread forward ambivalently, searching keenly for a safe path in the dim light. He knew he could move much faster than he was doing so, but a glance behind him reminded him of all the humans and mammoths - neither known for their ability to see in the dark - that followed in his wake. A light, strapped to Frank's rifle, darted ahead of him, illuminating patches of the ground ahead. He grimaced at the thought of his herd - and the humans - ailing and scraping and bruising in such darkness.

_Please be near, please be near, _he repeated to himself.

The trees that had enveloped them in darkness suddenly abated, giving way to open space. He could glimpse the outline of a cleft, a babbling brook and - to his relief - the remains of the two..._things..._the humans had arrived in. Frank's light skittered across the surroundings before it fell upon the things, illuminating them.

"Bloody hell," Frank gasped under his breath.

"Ay?" Buck piped up in confusion.

He turned to study the human, his features all but obscured in the darkness. Yet even he could see the shock etched onto his face.

"Frank," He murmured. "What's up?"

The human blinked, shaking his head as if snapping out of a dream. He felt Frank's eyes bore into him from the darkness,

"The trucks...they're...well, they're..." Frank trailed off.

_Trucks, _he noted, _these things are called trucks._

The human swallowed hard.

"How anyone could have survived...this...is beyond me," Frank murmured.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank turned his attention from Diego, eyeing the trucks once more. His heart hurt in his chest as he thought of Sam, Charlie, Nigel...

_And Terry, _he forced himself to add.

The vehicles struck him as a sorry sight; shattered glass, crumpled bonnets, destroyed chassis'...

He moved forward, stepping over a brook that stood between them, staring intently at the damage. He knew something - other than the rest of his expedition - was missing, but he couldn't think of what...

The realisation forced him bolt upright.

"Blood." He stated.

"What?" Diego, now standing beside him, quizzed.

"Blood," He repeated. "If they had been killed - or even seriously injured here - there would be blood."

"And?" Diego said.

"And there isn't any, look," He replied, flicking the light around the crash site. "There's no obvious signs of blood."

He turned to the sabre, sensing rather than seeing the flicker of understanding.

"So that means that they're alive?" Diego quizzed.

He nodded slowly,

"Or just not dead here," He added acridly. He swung the flashlight towards the sabre, only narrowly avoiding blinding him.

"Can you still pick up their scents?" He pressed.

Before Diego could respond, an overly loud cough filled the air. He turned towards the noise, only to find Manny towering over him. Even with all of his will, he couldn't hide the flinch of the mammoth's sudden presence being made aware.

"Look, buddy," Manny growled. "This is my herd, not yours. You have no right to be ordering us around."

All of his panic and fear dissipated, replaced with ill-concealed anger. He gritted his teeth, keen to show his hand visibly clasping the grip of his pistol.

"With all due respect, Manfred," He replied quietly, hiding none of his anger. "The lives of four of my expedition members are in danger. I have requested Diego's help, since he has a better nose than me. _You _have no right to tell me their lives aren't important enough to find."

He could feel the weight of Manny's stare fall on him. Even in the relative darkness, he could picture the incensed glare he was being given. Finally, the mammoth snorted, backing away from the light.

"Fine, have it your way, Frank," He spat back. He turned to Diego, his tone becoming audibly softer. "We'll be back at the camp once you've finished helping him."

The noise of the mammoth's thundering motions seemed deafening in the darkness. Noise diminishing into the distance, he cursed under his breath; he could tell that Manny was the leader of the herd. Angering the leader isn't ideal when he wanted their help, and he knew it. He turned to Diego, giving him a weak smile.

"I would have thought he'd understand," He murmured. "If these sabres are the same ones we drove off this morning, then my people are in danger."

"Oh, he understands alright," Ellie's voice stated from out of the darkness. "And so do we...it's just...Manny's gotten used to being the 'big guy'...ya know, the one in charge and all that."

"I don't want to be in charge," He replied firmly. "I just want to save my people. My sister is one of the four people missing."

Ellie's trunk, outlined by the moonlight, gently landed on his shoulder. He glanced up to see her eyes, as compassionate as Manny's was angry.

"You don't need to explain," She said softly. "We understand. And we will help you...well, Diego will tonight, at least. I need to get back to camp and smack some sense into Manny."

He shared a mischievous glance with Ellie, shooting a smirk in Claire's direction.

"Yeah, womenfolk seem to have to do that a lot," He said to Ellie, even as he smiled at Claire.

He caught Ellie's smile just before she moved back into the darkness.

"Don't worry," She said. "I'll have Manny all ready to apologise when you get back. Focus on finding your friends." She paused in her movements. "Anyone who isn't up for hiking in the dark towards sabres had better come with me!"

Before he could open his mouth to speak, he felt Claire's arms hug him fiercely, her lips colliding with his. Briefly caught off guard, he quickly returned the hug, reciprocating her kiss. Tasting a saltiness borne of tears, he realised she had been crying.

"Find Sam," She said after finally letting him go, her voice trembling. "And please, bring her and Terry, Nigel and Charlie back alive."

He blinked, his lips still buzzing from the kiss.

"I will," He mustered. "I will."

In a seeming instance, only he and Diego remained in the glade. He let out a sigh, focussing his mind on the task at hand.

"Shall we?" He said quietly to Diego.

The sabre nodded, turning his nose to the ground.

"I've found their scent," He murmured, sniffing the dirt intently. "They moved north east of here, up the cliff."

His eyes scanned the cliffs sternly,

"Then north east is where we're headed." He replied.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Terry kept his eyes fixed on a spot ahead of him, his posture frozen in parade rest. He refused to follow the shape of the sabre pacing across the edges of his vision, the sabre's voice grating against his ears even as his words cut into his heart. He longed for nothing else than to shoot the bastard, yet the ghostly imprints of sabres in the very periphery of his sight reminded him of the cold, hard truth of his situation;

_Anything other than seeming compliance will get all of us killed, _he thought acridly.

He snapped out of his thoughts, realising he had paid no attention to Soto for several moments. With no visible change on the outside, he focussed on the sound of his harsh, cruel voice;

"...and once you have achieved the tasks I have set for you, your pack - and your mate - will be free to go, should you wish to do so," Soto stated.

_Liar, _he thought at him; to be willing to let such power escape after angering it would be foolhardy. He knew Soto would kill them eventually; only his compliance would delay it. His face was a study of neutrality as Soto continued speaking.

"However, should you fail in your tasks, or attempt to ensure its failure, she will die. If you try and be the hero, and try to save the herd of traitors, she will die. If you do anything that displeases me, she. Will. Die. Do I make myself clear, Terry?"

"Sir, yes sir!" He snapped. The sabre's lips curled into a grin.

"You have chosen wisely, Terry," He replied. "Now rest; in two days you shall begin the hunt."

He remained utterly still, eyes staring forwards as the sabre retreated into the shadows. Confident that he had retreated out of earshot, he slumped his shoulders, glaring angrily at the darkness where Soto had been.

"Arrogant prick," He grumbled. "Bastard's so in love with his own voice he oughtta get married to it."

"Sir?" Charlie, standing beside him all the while, finally murmured. He raised his hand, quelling the arguments he knew were coming.

"I know whatya gonna say," He said. "And I agree with you. We ain't gonna do it; ain't right that some innocent kid and her folks gotta die at ours, or anyone's, hands. But we gotta make it look like we are, or we're all gonna end up dead."

Charlie stared at him sombrely. He could practically feel the confusion emanating from him.

"And what are we to do, Terry, if we have to - as you put it - make it look like we're following his orders...and, in so doing, actually accomplish them?"

He grunted, allowing his shoulders to slump even further.

"I...I don't know." He admitted.

The thought had crossed his mind, and he dreaded it; to pretend to follow to the point where he actually did. Suddenly, even the open spaces felt restrictive, purely because of the presence of people; he needed space.

_I need a smoke, _he concluded.

Without a word, he swerved on his heel and started walking down the hills that made the cliff.

"Terry, where are you going?" Charlie asked.

"To think," He replied, not bothering to turn and address him. "I'll be back before ya know it boss."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Manny threw several logs onto the dying fire, throwing himself to the ground in over-exaggerated annoyance. He cast a glare back in the direction he came, allowing the resentment he felt for Frank to well up in him, bringing with it a torrent of thoughts and justifications; he was the leader of the herd, not Frank. He was the one who decided things. He was, for all intents and purposes, the Big Guy.

And yet he felt diminished by the human's presence; suddenly, he had found himself in a situation where a human - _a stranger, _he corrected - was giving orders to the herd.

No one gave the herd orders, least of all a strange, dangerous human.

The distant rumble of mammoth footsteps snapped him out of his thoughts. His gaze softened, eyes still fixed on the darkness beyond the fire. Closer and closer the footsteps grew, but he heard Ellie before he saw her;

"YOU! What has gotten into you tonight?"

As she marched into view, her features - contorted in anger - looked yet more ominous in the dim firelight. He shuffled, looking at her in confusion,

"I...er...what?" He mustered eloquently.

She gestured behind her with her trunk, her fire-filled eyes still boring into him.

"The humans are trying to find their friends and save them from dying, and you're having a hissy fit about who gets to tell people what to do? That's just pathetic and dumb!"

He stared at her, barely concealing his sense of betrayal. He took a step forward, slamming his foot intentionally, glaring at her over the now-ominous shadows of the fire.

"You're with him on this?" He spat incredulously. "Ellie, we don't _know_ these people. We can't just trust them! We have no idea if what they are saying is true or not?"

"That's a stupid reason, and you know it!" She retorted. "We have _never _waited to get to know or trust people before helping them. And now you have gotten all high and mighty over something that might get people killed."

Beneath his angry exterior, he felt guilt. Part of him wanted to relent, but his body did otherwise; before he knew it, he was face to face with Ellie, almost butting heads with her.

"If we went through with it we would ALL BE KILLED!" He yelled. "I am not going to allow our herd to just waltz into sabre territory!"

She balked, eyeing him with disdain.

"You won't _allow? _Who died and made you chief?" She paused, eyes widening with realisation. "That's what this is about, isn't it? You think Frank is stepping on your _right_ to rule this herd, don't you?"

He recoiled away from her, casting his stare to the ground. He felt hurt at the accusatory tone his mate had given him, yet part of him knew it to be true.

"Yes! I mean no! I..." He trailed off as he held her gaze, suddenly realising what he had argued...what he had almost just forced.

"I..." He mustered once more.

_Four dead humans all because of your pride, _he chided himself.

He slumped to the ground, his legs no longer having the will to stand.

"What have I done," He murmured quietly. "I just let pride get in the way of helping someone..."

"Luckily for you, that didn't happen," Ellie replied sternly. "Diego is still out there with Frank. No one has died because of you."

He looked up at her, feeling his eyes moisten as he did so.

"I...I'm sorry," He said. "I wasn't thinking...was so annoyed at Frank for giving orders like he did that I just didn't see why he was doing so..."

"I know," Ellie whispered, now seated beside him. "And I know it wasn't all pride; you don't want our herd near herd-eating sabres. But you gotta see that these people...these four humans they are trying to find and save...that's Frank's herd. They are the people he has to protect..." She chuckled. "In fact, how he has acted today is kinda like...well...let's just say that you two have a _lot_ in common."

He smiled slightly, wrapping his trunk around hers.

"You're probably right," He replied.

"Probably?" She chided playfully.

He let out a sigh,

"All right, all right!" He groaned. "You're _always_ right!"

"That's better dear," She replied. "And I expect you to apologise when he gets back."

"WHA?" He exclaimed, looking at her with shock.

She remained silent, conveying her full meaning with nought but her eyes;

_This isn't negotiable._

He huffed and slumped further to the ground.

"Fine," He grumbled. "We'll play it your way."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

As soon as he took the first drag of his cigarette, Terry felt relief. The scent of burning tobacco and the rush of nicotine all aided in making his world marginally less insane.

But, as he pondered Soto's orders, his predicament, and the predicament of his half of the team, he still felt lost.

"Goddamn this," He grumbled, letting out a puff of smoke as he did so.

He watched the smoke rising into the midnight air, envying it's capacity to simply flitter away and be lost in the vast expanse of the sky.

"Easy six month mission my ass," He murmured. "Shoulda stayed in London."

His line of thought - still dwelling on the mission he had been tasked - was broken as he heard the small, but unmistakable, sound of a twig breaking. Almost out of instinct, he pulled out his pistol and crouched to the ground.

"Who's there?" He hissed.

Only silence greeted his request.

"Charlie? Nigel?" He pressed. He remained perfectly still, listening intently to the silence of the night.

The only sound he could hear was his own breathing.

"Anyone?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The sheer pungency of the scent froze Diego mid step. Casting his nose into the air, he breathed it in, using all of his will to still the earnest desire to gag from it.

"Something's nearby," He mumbled to Frank, his featured so dimmed that he was merely a shadow in the corner of his eye.

"How can you tell?" The human whispered.

He sniffed once more, grateful to the darkness for concealing his contorted and confused features.

"I can smell a fire," He replied quietly. "But not like any fire I've smelt before. I haven't got any idea what wood that is..."

Even in the darkness, he could see Frank jerk upwards, his sniffing sounding thunderous in the quiet.

"That's smoke!" He whispered excitedly. "Tobacco!"

He shot the human a dubious glance, knowing full well he wouldn't be seen.

"Tobacco?" He murmured. "I haven't heard of that wood before."

"It's not a wood," Frank replied. "It's a plant, smoked by some humans, including Terry."

"And that means?" Diego asked tentatively, whilst thinking _who's Terry?_

"It means that one of my expedition is still alive!" Frank said. Moments later, the darkened outline of the human sped forward, creating such a noise that he knew their cover was blown. He huffed in exasperation, before giving chase.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The silence unnerved Terry more than he could possibly have expected the absence of sound to do.

"Who's there!" He snapped, drawing his pistol out of its holster.

Slowly, he scanned his surroundings, pistol trained ahead of him. Suddenly, he heard another twig snap, directly behind him. Adrenaline coursing through his veins, he spun round, preparing to fire.

He barely recognised the two figures directly before him in the darkness; he could barely make out that one of them was human.

"Goddamit," He growled. "Who the hell are ya?"

"Evening to you too, Terry."

Frank's voice emanating from the dark figure before him caught him utterly off guard. He stood there, frozen, pistol still trained on him.

"Frank?" He murmured cautiously.

The figure stepped forward; though the light was near zero, Terry could suddenly see Frank's features. He slumped, letting the breath he had held within his lungs to come rushing out.

"Jesus, boss," He exclaimed. "I coulda shot ya! Thought you Brits would understand the danger of walking up to an armed yank in the dark."

"Terry, where are the others?" Frank asked firmly.

He slumped further, seating himself on a nearby rock.

"Dammit, Frank," He muttered. "We're in some mighty deep sh-"

"Where _are _they, Terry?" Frank said again.

He rooted around in his pocket, looking for another cigarette.

"S'gonna take some explainin', boss," He mumbled around the cigarette. "And I ain't got that much time 'fore someone back at base realises I ain't there."

"Then explain quickly." Frank said firmly.

He lit up the cigarette, took a long puff, and paused.

"Alright," He murmured. "Best get comfy; even cut short, this ain't gonna be a walk in the park."


	10. Faust

**Hello everyone!**

**I hope you are all doing well! I feel I need to put a caveat in front of this chapter, as this one was mostly written whilst I was under the influence of the many medications the doctors had me on. As such, I apologise if this one is somewhat inferior to the previous chapters.**

**As always, please read and review!**

**Anyways...**

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

Rebel Occupied London - Bermondsey - August, 2019

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"TAKE COVER! TAKE COVER!"

Before Terry could even turn, bullets flew towards him. Without even thinking, he reached out, grabbing another soldier by his jacket, flinging him to the ground. The wall beside him

exploded into a hail of rubble and debris. In mere moments, he scanned his surroundings, spotting a pub less than twenty yards from him.

_Perfect, _he thought.

"Alright Jackson, lets move!" He screamed.

Even over the torrent of gunfire, he heard him scream. He turned to the man he had just saved, seeing the pool of blood pouring out of his abdomen.

"Goddammit!" He growled.

He glanced between the pub and Jackson. He knew carrying the wounded man would lessen his own chance of surviving the assault. Bullets thrashed about him, shredding anything they touched.

_To hell with chances, _he decided.

Ignoring the screaming, the bullets and all the world around him going to hell, Terry hoisted the man onto his back, running as fast as he could for safety.

It took just one swift kick to bash in the door. He veered for the nearest table, swiping away as much of the glass and debris as he could.

"Easy now, kiddo," Terry murmured, lowering Jackson onto the table. "Thought you deserved some time out after being all smart an' gettin' shot."

Jackson, wincing in pain, glanced around at his surroundings. Even through the pain, Terry could see a smile on his face.

"If getting shot gets me a free drink, then I'm all for it." He mustered.

"Yeah, right," Terry shot back as he tore away the clothing around the wound. "The drink's for me. Rookies like you gettin' all dead-like's killin' my liver."

"As if, sir," Jackson replied, now truly grinning through the pain. "Glad to have given you a decent excuse at least, sir."

Terry didn't reply; he couldn't muster a reply even if he could. The more he looked at the wound, the more it disturbed him. Jackson's smile faded, eyes fixed on Terry.

"Sir?" He asked. Moments later, his gaze fell. "It's bad. Isn't it."

He didn't know how to reply. Truth was that he knew he had already said too much by not saying anything at all. With a haste he knew was too late, he moved into action.

"Nah, ain't bad kiddo," He said, brusquely tearing off his sleeve jacket to stanch the wound. "Just a scratch."

Jackson licked his lips nervously, his hands quivering with pain.

"You're a lousy liar, sir," He croaked. "...but thanks."

Terry's head yanked up, eyes wide open. He saw the drooping eyelids, the shallow, rapid breathing. He knew a dying man when he saw one.

"Don't you die on me, kiddo!" He nearly shouted. "That's an order!"

Jackson winced, but nodded.

"I'll try, sir." He whispered.

"Didn't say try," Terry snapped. "Said don't. Die on me an' i'll damn well kill ya."

He couldn't help but smirk as Jackson chuckled.

"Not sure you got the whole 'dying' thing worked out, sir." He remarked.

Terry's smirk faded as he looked at Jackson, seeing the blood trail from his mouth.

It cut him to the core how _young _he was, dying so far from home amongst ruins...

_Ain't right for a kid to die, _he thought grimly, _definitely not like this._

He opened his mouth to speak, when suddenly the walls behind him shattered apart with a hail of bullets. He slammed himself against the wall, rifle unslung and stuck out of the doorway, firing wildly.

Shreds of the walls around him flew about as every gun seemed to turn on him. He ducked out of view, waiting for a good moment to move.

_Radio..._

Suddenly remembering, he yanked the radio off of his jacket.

"Hotel quebec, hotel quebec, this is Daniels. Pinned down with heavy fire inside romeo oscar lima, sector zero, fower, niner niner. Have men down, medic needed. request assistance!" He yelled. "Repeat, hotel quebec, hotel quebec, this is Daniels..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The King's Head pub - Bermondsey - July, 2034 - 1 year before launch

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Terry shuffled uncomfortably, eyes fixed on the table, hoping the images would seep out of his mind. He took a sip from his pint, glancing up at the bar. All the repairs could be clearly, visibly seen; concrete where bricks once had been, metal where wood once was. Yet no matter where he looked, his gaze kept returning to the spot where a table once stood,

_Where Jackson died, _he finished. He could still see his stiffened body, the aimless stare, the blood...

"Goddammit." He hissed quietly.

"What?" Sam, sitting beside him, replied.

He shifted, unwilling to relive the scenario all over again by telling her,

"I meant, er...well, I ain't been here in..." He began, trailing off. "...In a long time."

He felt Sam shuffle beside him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see she was scanning the place too, eyes dewing up as she did so.

"This used to be my local," she murmured quietly. "Before the Troubles. The landlord was a bastard, little blob of a man-" She stopped herself, pursing her lips as a guilty expression flashed across her eyes.

"Never found out what happened to him," She continued, slowly leaning into him. "This place took a beating though."

"Yeah, I know," He remarked gruffly. "I was here was it got pasted. Back when this was known as the romeo oscar lima."

Sam looked up at him, her eyes quizzical.

"ROL?" She repeated.

He nodded slightly, taking a heady swig from his pint.

"Yeah, shorthand for 'rebel occupied London'," He replied quietly. "Whatever the hell that meant-"

"It meant that the people who held London were the losers in the war."

Both Sam and himself looked up, surprised to see Frank standing there, giving them a smile that did not meet his eyes. He knew the look Frank wore well enough as he stared at them with glassy, cold eyes.

_He was here too. He saw too much, too._

"The military decided," Frank continued, gaze so fixed on him and Sam he didn't even look down when he sat. "That, because they were the ones with the bigger guns, that _they _were on the right side of the war."

He smiled slightly as he realised how offended he was by Frank's statement, even though he agreed with him.

_"We."_ He stated.

Frank's eyes bored into him.

"Excuse me?" He said.

"_We_ decided that, 'cos _we _were the ones with bigger guns, that _we _were on the right side of the war," he replied. "Can't ignore our part in the crapsack that was the Troubles, boss."

He let out as quiet a sigh of relief as he could as Frank's intense gaze broke away from him, but as soon as he did, he caught a whiff of the man opposite him. Judging from Sam's expression, she noticed it too.

"Goddamit," He muttered in Sam's direction. "The guy's drunk."

He shot a significant glance at Sam, hoping she would understand the meaning behind it;

_You should ask some other time._

He knew she had understood his glance as soon as he saw her expression grow more stubborn. Knowing she wouldn't listen, he merely shrugged, sat back, and looked forward to the oncoming argument.

"Your funeral, Sammy." He said, casually linking his hands behind his head.

Frank perked up, quizzical eyes flickering between himself and Sam.

"Say what?" He murmured.

Terry took another swig, hoping it would mask his wincing. Neither of them answered Frank, whose expression turned quickly from confusion into something harder..

"I'm not going to like what's coming, am I." Frank said flatly. All of them knew it wasn't a question.

Sam sat up, clasping her hands before her on the table, her posture as composed as it could be, given her brother's stare.

"It's about the expedition-" She said.

"What about it," Frank cut in quickly. He scanned the room quickly, leaning in as he did so. "What. About. It."

Terry saw her stiffen, as if rising up to Frank's own short temperedness.

"Fine, I'll be blunt," She stated matter-of-factly. "You've selected me to go, and you know damn well why. I am the _only _person on earth with even a _bachelors _degree in biology that wants to work with you on this, and you should count yourself lucky I'm a little bit more than just an undergraduate. Whether you like it or not, you cannot replace me...so here's the deal: Terry comes with me."

Frank laughed bitterly, catching both himself and Sam off guard. Almost as soon as it started, his laughter died away. Terry recognised the look dawning in his brother-in-law's eyes, quickly downing what was left of his drink; the last thing he wanted was beer to fly at the same time as the punches.

"So let me get this straight," Frank murmured, his tone menacingly quiet. "You are jeopardising the viability of this mission for a two bit, half brained chimp,"

Frank's eyes bored into him. Insulting him though he may have been, Terry remained perfectly still, determined not to take the bait.

"Whose only useful skill is destroying things-" Frank growled on.

"Who is also my husband," Sam butted in fiercely. "And you should be grateful that he's being the bigger man at the moment and _not _leaving you as a bloodied mess on the floor."

Frank laughed bitterly again,

"I guess I should be!" He said loudly. "The oaf has finally learnt restraint...tell me, _Terry, _was that before, or after, you got your far share of bloodspilling? How many civilians did _you _kill?"

Terry froze, struggling to hold himself in check. In the corner of his eye, he saw almost every pair of eyes now focussing on them.

He realised then he should have forced Sam to stay quiet as soon as they knew Frank was drunk.

_Hindsight is a bitch, _he thought.

"That's rich, comin' from you, Frank," He murmured. "You don't wanna do this buddy. If I were you, I'd walk away. _Now_. You _really don't _wanna go down this road."

"And why not, _Terry_?" He spat. "Afraid you might find yourself remembering your stint as a bloodstained soldier boy fondly?"

"'Least I didn't commit a massacre." Terry blurted out. Even as he was saying it, he regretted it.

"Crap." Sam muttered under her breath.

Frank rose to his feet slowly, eyes murderously locked onto Terry's. To his surprise, he founding himself standing up to match, towering over Frank.

"I beg your pardon." Frank growled.

"You heard me." Terry replied lamely, genuinely hoping he didn't.

"At least _I_ didn't kill for pleasure," Frank retorted. "Tell me, was it the chance to sightsee, the thrill of war, or just the chance to kill that brought you here during the troubles? Why did you sign up to come here, _Terry._"

Terry glared at the man before him, now so incensed he no longer cared what he said.

"I did what I had to do, we all did. And I'm goddamn sure I killed less in the eight months of that goddamned war than you did in a day."

He moved around the table, measuring up against Frank. He no longer cared about what Sam, the pub goers, or anyone else on earth cared; he just wanted to smash Frank's face in.

"And I ain't the one who gave the order that killed sixty seven people. Only one of us is nicknamed the Butcher of Westminster, an' it ain't me," He hissed. "So back off, _Frank, _go home, and talk'ta us when yer goddamn sober."

It felt like an eternity of silent staring followed, but Frank eventually looked away, turning around as if to leave. Terry heaved a sigh of relief, turning slightly to smirk at Sam, when suddenly a fist landed squarely in his jaw. He staggered backwards, slamming into a table. Adrenaline surging through him, he bounced back onto his feet, fists clenched, ready for a fight. Instead, he found himself watching in confusion as Sam yanked Frank towards her.

What came next confounded him; he knew his wife was hotheaded, but he never - _ever_ - expected her to punch her own brother. Yet punch him she did, hitting him so hard that he slumped to the floor, taking with him virtually every glass on their table. Everyone - himself included - simply stared at her in surprise. She shrugged nonchalantly,

"Believe me," She stated. "This way's better than letting these two fight it out."

Terry did a double take, gaze flickering between the now-unconscious Frank, and his wife.

"H-ha, w-wha?" He stammered.

"I'm a Howard," She replied, smirking mischievously. "Family fights were part and parcel of our life. We weren't trained to spar for nothing."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank came to in a haze of pain. Head throbbing, stomach churning, throat parched, and his jaw feeling like it had been shattered, all he could do was groan and beg sleep to reclaim him.

"Morning," A voice - possibly Sam's - said softly. "How are we feeling?"

He opened one eye slightly, staring blankly at a set of blurs he reckoned was Sam. He groaned once more, sinking deeper beneath the bedcovers.

"Like, a bus-" He began.

"-has hit you," Sam finished. "Why do you always say that when you're hurt? Do you seriously only have the two states of Fine and Incredible Pain?"

He shuffled himself up into a seated position, only then realising where he was; on his sofa, in his house. Sam, seated on a coffee table in front of him, gingerly handed him a glass of water, which he gratefully accepted.

"Incredible pain isn't too far from the mark," He murmured, taking a sip from the glass. "What time is it?"

"It's four in the morning," She replied. "By the time we got back from your almost-fight, Claire and Ben were already asleep, so we figured we wouldn't wake them."

"We?" Frank repeated, whilst thinking _almost-fight?_ Suddenly, like a whirlwind in his head, all the memories of the evening flooded back, including his punching Terry, and Sam punching him.

"Oh," Was all he could muster. "I think I might have been a prat this evening."

"I got a few better words than that."

Frank turned slowly to look at Terry, slumped wearily on another sofa. Even in the dim light he could see a nasty bruise developing on the man's chin. Frank winced, remembering his own jaw's pains.

"Terry, I'm sorry," He grumbled. "I didn't mean to hit you."

Terry grunted,

"So you _meant _to say all that stuff, then? Gee, thanks. I feel all warm 'n fuzzy inside."

Confused, he looked to his sister, pleading for answers with his eyes.

"You brought up his...ah...war-record," She replied. "And he brought up yours, and the rest goes without saying."

Almost by instinct, he retreated back under the duvet, feeling nothing but shame.

"Getting drunk really isn't what it's cracked up to be." He muttered.

"Speaking of which, why were you drunk anyway?" Sam asked. "I've never known you to get drunk for no reason, so what is it?"

Frank remained silent for a while, trying to find a way to express himself. He settled on not explaining it directly.

"What's the date?" He asked.

"July 29th." Terry replied.

"I mean the date _yesterday_," Frank retorted, glancing at both of them. "The date on which I actually drank."

Realisation dawned on both Sam and Terry.

"Ah damn, Frank, I'm sorry," Terry said. "I didn't realise...wouldn'ta brought it up if I'd remembered..."

Frank shot him a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Fifteen years to the day," He said quietly. "And I'm the one who has to live with giving that order."

He could tell Sam wanted to console him, to tell him the lie that it wasn't his fault, that he was just following orders. He searched his addled brain for something that would stop the conversation. Slowly, he remembered Sam requesting something of him...

_Terry to join the expedition, _he remembered.

Even as Sam moved in to place her arm around him, he looked to Terry,

"I accept." He stated.

They paused, unsure what to make of his statement.

"You will join us on the expedition," He said, looking squarely at Terry. "But some ground rules; as far as you are concerned I am _Captain _Frank Howard. I am the commanding officer of this expedition, and you are to obey any orders I give you. Your job is to protect the expedition... the flip side being, if you do anything that will endanger _any_ member of the expedition, I will leave you behind. Do I make myself clear?"

As he had hoped, all thoughts of consoling him had been forgotten. He sat there, waiting patiently, wondering whether the decision would come back to haunt him.

Eventually, Terry smiled,

"You got it, boss," He replied. "Or should I say, _Sir."_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

17,993BC

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank and Diego peered through the darkness at Terry, waiting silently for him to speak. Diego could sense the growing impatience in the man beside him as he waited.

"Well?" Frank said.

Terry shuffled on the spot, yet remained silent. Even in the dark, Diego knew the look of a bearer of bad news.

"We crashed, not far from here, boss," Terry began. "Wasn't pretty. Sam got hurt pretty badly-"

"Is she ok?" Frank interjected forcefully.

Terry shrugged.

"Truth be told, we ain't sure; doc's takin' care of her, but he ain't got the supplies to properly treat her."

"Why not?" Frank growled.

Diego stepped forward, intentionally placing himself between the two humans. Staring at Frank, he let out a sigh,

"Because he was ambushed," He stated. "By sabres."

Frank cocked his head, eyes boring into his.

"And how would you know?" He quizzed.

Diego paused, unsure how to phrase it without implicating himself.

"Because," He murmured. "Because I was there. I saw it."

Almost instantly, he could feel Terry's eyes fixed on him as well.

"You were with the pack?" The human quizzed.

He let out a sigh, suddenly realising what both humans were thinking.

"No," He snapped. "I was out on a hunt, and ran into...whatever the hell happened."

"Enough!" Frank said bluntly, gesturing at both of them. "We haven't got time for this; Terry, the truth. What happened?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_Abort, abort abort..._

The words echoed in Terry's mind, yet he didn't know why; his mind was so addled, they held no meaning for him. Groggily coming to his senses, all he knew and understood was that much of him ached. The world seemed painfully bright as he opened his eyes, revealing to him the oddity of a horizon that looked distinctly vertical. Glancing around, he figured out he was in a truck.

"Huh," He mumbled. "Looks like we crashed."

_We?_

He racked his brain, trying to recall what had happened, where he was, and _why _he used the word 'we'. All he could figure out what that his head hurt far too much for such things. Wiping away some blood from his face, he sat back, waiting for the emergency services he reckoned would come.

_Funny, _he thought as he closed his eyes. _View out front don't look much like a freeway..._

"Terry!" He heard someone shout. "Terry! TERRY!"

Gingerly opening his eyes, he found himself staring into wide eyes set in the midst of the blood-smeared face of a man. He smiled slightly,

"Hey, officer," He murmured. "Somethin' seems to have happened. Don't got much of a clue what, though."

He looked beyond the man to see a woman, slumped against her seatbelt. She seemed to be hanging motionlessly, gravity trying its hardest to pull her down on him. He looked at the face, instantly familiar, yet he couldn't remember wh-

_Sam, _he realised. The woman, limply help up by her seatbelt was _Sam._

Like a flood, everything returned to him, and he finally had his answer; the mission had gone wrong. He looked back into the face of the man he knew now was Nigel.

"Terry!" Nigel screamed.

"Jesus Christ, doc!" He exclaimed. "What the hell happened here?"

"I don't know!" He replied frantically. "One moment everything was fine, then the mission director was telling us to abort. But we can't dwell on it now; I need your help to get her down."

He looked up at Sam, feeling panic and fear well up in him. She was utterly unmoving.

Terry couldn't even tell whether she was breathing.

"What's wrong with her, doc?" He asked.

Nigel pointed to her leg. He felt ill when he saw how unnaturally bent it was.

"Her leg is broken," Nigel replied quickly. "As to why she's unconscious, I don't know yet. We need to get her down so I can put her leg in a splint."

He nodded absently, eyes still glued on Sam's closed ones.

_Come on Sammy, _he thought at her, _wake up._

"Sir!" Charlie called out from the rear of the truck. "We've got company!"

"In a minute!" Terry replied.

"I really think you need to s-

"WHAT PART OF NOT GODDAM NOW DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND, SOLDIER?" He roared, scrambling to his feet so he could help Nigel.

Charlie remained silent for a while,

"...yes. Sir."

Feet placed on the window beneath, he now stood in a crouch, taking Sam's weight in his arms. He held her as Nigel cut away the restraints, clutching her into his arms as soon as he could.

"Don't die on me, Sammy," He whispered into her ear. "Don't you dare die on me!"

As carefully as he could, he manoeuvred himself out of the toppled truck, ensuring Sam wasn't bumped, scraped or cut as they made their way out. He could feel mangled metal gouging at his skin with every motion, but he no longer cared; the woman he loved lay in his arms, possibly dying.

_Possibly dead, _he thought. He couldn't stop his eyes from welling up.

Finally free from the remains of the truck, he quickly lay her on the snow beside Charlie. He rose to his feet, ignoring the chill and all his injuries, watching Nigel get to work.

"Charlie," He murmured. "What is it you wanted to-"

As soon as he turned, he cut himself off. He now faced dozens of animals, all looking at them intently, and all of them with excessively _sharp _looking teeth. He grimaced, realising that _this _was what Charlie had wanted him to see.

To his relief, he could still feel the dull weight of his pistol, strapped to his thigh. In an instant, he yanked it out of its holster, aiming it squarely at the nearest animal.

"BACK AWAY!" He yelled, hoping the gestures alone would drive them off.

It didn't; all they did was exchange glances amongst each other.

_Fine then, _he thought. He lowered the pistol slightly, firing several rounds into the ground near the animals. Almost instantly, they backed away, but they didn't leave.

"GO ON!" He yelled. "GERROUTTA HERE!"

The animal at the front stepped forward, looking him firmly in the eye.

"Why?" The animal retorted. "We were here first."

Only with all of his willpower did he resist the urge to step back.

"What the hell?" He grumbled, glancing at Charlie, whose rifle was raised. "Am I goin' crazy, or did that thing just _talk_."

Charlie's gawking expression was all he needed to see; the animal _did _talk.

"Us talking is not the oddity here, _human,_" The animal spat. "It's _you_ who shouldn't be talking. Now, enough of this! I was taught not to play with your _food_."

He blinked, confused at what the animal had , in the corners of his eyes, he could see the animals spread out, clearly aiming to outflank them.

It hit him like a punch to the stomach; _they _were the food.

_This is a trap._

Without a moment's thought, he aimed at the two nearest animals, firing several shots into their skulls. They fell to the floor, limbs spasming in the final throes of death. He turned, aiming squarely at the animal who spoke to him.

"Any'o you who wanna keep yer goddamned lives better stay BACK!" He shouted.

The animals approaching them had frozen, but they had definitely not run away. In the brief moment's reprieve, he snatched a glance of Sam and Nigel behind him; to his relief, the doctor had placed the treatment of his wife over watching the events unfolding around him. He snapped back to the animal he presumed was their leader, trying to decide whether he should just shoot him, or wait. The beast before him seemed to mull something over, eyeing them with a gaze that looked much less hungry.

"Where do you come from?" The animal asked.

"Ain't yer business, an' I don't feel much like sharin'," Terry snapped back. "Last I checked, I told y'all to leave."

"You don't give the orders around here, _human._" The beast spat.

He let out a chuckle that was anything but amused.

"An' I guess you do?" He said. "Reckon you could give them orders with yer brains splattered? Cos I'm strugglin' in findin' a reason why we're still talkin' and I ain't shootin'."

The animal took a step forward, glanced at the dead around him, seemingly thought better of it, and remained still.

"Because you know how this will end," The animal stated. "Your... _stick..._ is impressive, but you can't take down every single sabre here before we get to you," The sabre stood tall, eyeing him smugly. "Kill me, and everybody here dies."

_Damn._

Taking a quick scan of the sabres ahead of him, he knew he was right. Feeling cornered, he exuded nothing but concerted calm.

"Then we got ourselves a problem," He muttered. "Cos we ain't leavin', we ain't gonna just lay down our guns and become a four course meal...and shootin' you don't seem like such a brilliant plan anymore."

"Indeed," The sabre replied. "But I have a proposal for you, human. My name is Soto, I am this pack's alpha. If you will join us, we can give you food, water, shelter and _warmth," _He saw Soto glance behind him and chuckle to himself. He knew he had just looked at Sam.

"And it would appear that you need those things, especially for the female."

_Damn._

He weighed his options. They were outmanned to the point where their weapons were useless. A quick glance at the truck reaffirmed his opinion that they had no shelter or warmth. A further glance at Sam rammed it home that he needed both those things if she - in her weakened state - would even _survive, _letalone recover.

"I need time," He grumbled, lowering his pistol sightly. "To discuss this with my people. Can I get your word on you not killin' us if I stop pointing this thing at you?"

Soto nodded,

"You have my word," He said. "But make it quick; we can't stand here all day."

He spun round and crouched beside Sam, gesturing for Charlie to join them. Both men simply stared at him like a man gone mad.

"Whaddya think?" He whispered.

"You can't be serious, sir," Charlie stated. "These things just tried to kill us. What's to say they won't the moment we have lowered our guard?"

Terry opened his mouth, but Soto's voice rang out.

"You have none but my word,"

Soto hadn't moved an inch. He let out a long sigh,

_Damn. Sabres got good hearing._

"And, if my word is not enough, then we will be back to the scenario where everyone dies," Soto continued. "Your choice."

He shot a glance at both Nigel and Charlie, hoping his meaning would get across; _they can hear, so be more careful in what you say._

"All I am saying, sir," Charlie murmured, his tone distinctly more guarded. "Is that we haven't had the best first impressions of them."

"Duly noted," He replied gruffly. "Feel free to suggest a way of getting outta this other than his idea, then. Preferably somethin' that don't wind up with all of us dead."

"Joining them means working for them, sir," Charlie stated. "We say yes, we may find ourselves doing their dirty work."

"Don't much care if it keeps us alive," Terry retorted. "Got any better suggestions?"

Charlie pursed his lips, remaining silent.

"Thought not," He grumbled. "Doc, yer thoughts?"

Nigel shuffled slightly, evidently as uncomfortable about the idea as Charlie was. But as soon as Nigel's eyes fell onto Sam, Terry saw his expression change.

"If they're telling the truth," Nigel began. "And they do have food, shelter and warmth, then it would be best for Sam."

Terry paused.

"How is she, doc?" He asked.

The doctor shrugged, instilling Terry with none of the encouragement he hoped to receive.

"Most likely a concussion, but without any of the medical supplies in the truck, I can't be sure-"

"Then why not get off your ass and go get 'em." Terry interjected forcefully.

He knew the answer to his question as soon as Nigel's eyes met his.

"Terry," He began. "I did. They're crushed. Unusable."

_Damn._

"Alright, listen up," He muttered. "Frank ordered me to keep the expedition safe, so we go with 'em. If that's what it takes to keep all of us," He placed Sam's hand in his. "An' I mean _all _of us alive...then that's what we're gonna do. Any objections?"

"...yes..."

Everyone's eyes tracked downwards, surprised to find Sam's eyes slightly open. He gripped her hand tightly,

"Sammy! Thank God-"

"...don't...trust...him..." She barely whispered. "...mani...pulating...you..."

He let out a sigh,

"Manipulatin' or not, we don't do this, we don't live much longer. Got no choice, Sammy."

"...always...have...choice..." She whispered.

"Yeah," He replied. "An' here we have a choice between life and death. Gonna choose life, for all of us."

She remained silent, eyes closing once more. He looked at her for a few moments, wishing she had gone along with him.

Saying yes still looked like the obvious choice but - now that his wife had spoken - it seemed like less of the _right _choice.

_Cut it out, _he snapped at himself. He gently lifted her up into his arms, before rising to his feet.

"Ready whenever you are, Soto," He muttered.

"Lets move out!" Soto roared.

Like a sullen child, he trailed behind the pack, cradling Sam in his arms, flanked by Charlie and Terry as they struggled up the ridge in the wake of the pack.

"Help! HELP!"

He spun round, heart leaping into his throat as he heard Ben's panicked voice carry on the wind. Scanning his surroundings, his gaze fell upon another truck, whose very existence he didn't even notice.

"HELP! MUM'S HURT! SOMEBODY HELP!" Ben screamed.

"Is there a problem?" Soto's voice called out, dragging Terry's attention away from the truck.

"Two of our people are in that truck," He said hurriedly. "We gotta go help the-"

"No!" Soto snapped. "No more humans. And before you even think about arguing, your hands are full; you'll be dead in seconds."

Terry simply stared, wishing he could pump the smug sabre's face full of bullets. His gaze flickered between the truck and Soto, knowing full well then that neither option saved the expedition's people - as he had hoped.

"HELP! ANYONE! MUM'S BLEEDING! HELP ME! HELP!" Ben screamed.

Terry let out a long, bitter sigh, before continuing up the hill.

"Come on, fellas." He muttered.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" Charlie exclaimed. "We can't just leave them here to die!"

"We don't leave them here, _we_ die," He replied flatly. "This decision saves _most _of the expedition."

Charlie bristled, eyes wide with rage.

"God damn you, Terry," He growled. "God damn you to hell."

"Move it, corporal," Terry murmured. "That's an order."

He stared at Charlie, hoping he could see through his anger, and see his own.

After what felt like an eternity, Charlie started trudging up the ridge once more.

"Aye aye, _sir._" He hissed.

He looked on, watching Charlie force his way to the front of the pack, followed closely by Soto. Still hearing Ben's frantic yelling in the background, he began walking.

"...wrong..." Sam whispered.

"Sammy," He whispered. "Stay with me, baby. We're gonna have food, water and warmth soon enough."

"...sure..." She murmured. "Will...stick...around...Faust..."

"Who?" He quizzed.

"A man who sold his soul to the devil."

He looked up to find Nigel walking plaintively beside him.

"Faust though his deal would give him the best shot at life," Nigel continued. "Only it brought him misery and damnation."

Looking down on his again-unconscious wife, he felt his heart crush inside him.

_Damn._

_-_x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

A menacing silence hung over the area as soon as Terry stopped talking. Frank clenched his hand tightly around the handle of his pistol, levelling a hateful glare at Terry.

"You left Claire and Ben to die?"

His voice trembled with rage, desirous of nothing but shooting the man who had left his wife and child to suffer alone. Terry shuffled his feet, taking another drag of his cigarette.

"I had no choice boss," He said. "I had to-"

"Don't. You. _Dare,_" Frank hissed. "You had every choice, but you left them to die."

Terry held out his hands pleadingly, as if only then realising what Frank was feeling.

"I did it to _save_ Sam, Charlie and Nigel," He replied quickly. "If I didn't leave 'em, we _all_ would have been dead!"

"Sure," Diego said sarcastically. "So you were just being a good citizen, right?"

"I had. No. CHOICE!" Terry snapped back frantically. "It was either leaving them to die or having all of us eaten!"

Everyone remained silent, eyeing each other up.

"You're right," Frank, breaking the silence, replied coldly. "You're _right! _Here I am, just getting all caught up on how you left my wife and child to die, rather than focussing on how _you _saved _yourself_. You're a real hero, Terry. Here, have your _reward_."

He yanked his gun out of its holster, training it on Terry's chest. Almost instantly, Diego jumped between them, wide eyed.

"FRANK! This isn't going to he-"

"Back away Diego," He growled. "Because I'm shooting him regardless of whether you are between us or not."

Diego's stare prickled on his skin, but he ignored it; his eyes were locked onto the man he hated.

_The man who left them to die._

"Any last words, _Terry_?" He spat.

"Executin' me ain't gonna help, boss," Terry replied, hands held out in pleading. "Soto's got Sam, an' the only reason he's keepin' her alive is to make me follow orders. You kill me, you kill her. And Charlie. And Nigel. If yer killin' me "

He willed himself to pull the trigger, rationalising away anything that Terry said as the desperate pleas of a guilty man, eager to save his life at any costs.

Moments passed by, yet still the gun hadn't gone off. He wanted to disbelieve everything the man before him said, _desperate _to do so...

_But you can't be sure he isn't lying, _he thought.

"Diego," He said coolly. "How much do you know on this 'Soto'?"

"A lot," The sabre replied cautiously. "I used to be his Second. What do you want to know?"

"Whether he takes hostages," Frank said quickly. "Whether this fits in with what you know of him."

"If it means he can get an edge, then yeah," Diego replied. "It does."

"Damn," He growled. Moments passed, yet Frank still trained the pistol on Terry. Slowly, he lowered it to the floor, eyes still fixed on him.

"Since you're not dying tonight, answer me this; what orders?"

Terry blinked, hands still frozen in mid air.

"'Scuse me, boss?" He said in confusion.

"What orders has this Soto given you that he's taken Sam hostage for." He stated.

He slumped, gaze flickering warily between Diego, Frank and the pistol.

"You really ain't gonna like em, Frank." He said cautiously.

"This evening's already been full of things I don't like," he replied. "So try me."

Silence lulled. Through the stillness Frank could sense the wariness, the unwillingness, the _fear _practically radiating off of Terry.

"NOW. TERRY." He snapped.

"Alright! Alright! Geez," Terry replied. "Soto has ordered me to...to hunt you and that pack of animals-"

"_Herd."_ Diego corrected sternly.

"-Hunt you and that _herd _down, and... capture the baby mammoth." Terry finished, visibly deflating before them.

Frank merely stared. It made no sense to him; why would a sabre care about a mammoth child? Why force a group after them. He cocked his head towards Diego, expecting to see something similar to his own reaction.

He didn't.

"What?" Diego growled, pacing towards Terry menacingly slowly. "Why?"

"I-I-I dunno!" Terry replied quickly. "He said it was something to do with ice fields, and some Half Peak, and revenge," Even in the dim light, the human could see the glint of Diego's claws, panicking him further. "That's all I know!"

Diego spun round, staring stonily at Frank.

"We have to go back," He stated. "We need to get out of this valley _now."_

"Couldn't agree more," Frank replied. "But first - Terry, how long do we have?"

"We leave at noon, boss," He said. "Frank, I'm sorry, I'm just try-"

"Oh, we're way past _sorry_," He spat fiercely. "And if I see you again, I'm not sure you'll get away with no bullets in you."

Terry moved to talk, but was distracted by a breaking twig. Frank felt a surge of panic rise up in him as he heard it; they weren't alone.

"You guys gotta go, now," Terry said quickly. For a moment they didn't budge, both human and sabre staring in the direction of the noise. "MOVE IT!"

Without another word, Frank and Diego slunk away, picking up their paces as they went down the hill towards their cave. Jumping over the stream, Frank paused before the forest's edge and stared back the way he came. He thought of Sam, Charlie and Nigel in the grips of sabres. He thought of Terry and all he had explained. He knew the man had reasons, and he knew he didn't care.

What he did care about, though, was that one of the strongest - and most doggedly determined - men he knew was now his enemy.

_He's our hunter now, _he thought acridly. _And we're the hunted._

"Dammit," He muttered. "Dammit all."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Did you enjoy your little talk?"

Terry spun round in fear, instinctively aiming his pistol at the seemingly disembodied voice of Soto. Slowly, the sabre approached, coming within eyesight. Struggling to suppress his heavy breathing, Terry gave out a weak chuckle.

"What talk?" He feigned.

"Don't play games with me, Terry," Soto replied calmly. "I heard the whole exchange. I was planning on killing you the moment they approached, but when I found out _who _that was," He chuckled cruelly. "I let it play out. After all, what better way to sow fear than to _know _you are being hunted."

Terry merely stared.

"You...you _wanted _me to tell them?" He said incredulously.

Soto made a gesture, encompassing their surroundings.

"Do you see any sabres?" He remarked. "Given the..._lively _level of the conversation, no sabres hearing it is impossible. You were _permitted _to talk to them, because it served my purposes well enough. Congratulations is in order, human, you've done well tonight."

No more words were spoken; Soto disappeared back into the night. Terry stood there, alone in the dark, with nothing but his thoughts and fears to keep him company.

"Dammit," Terry murmured. "Dammit it all to hell."

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

**End of Chapter 10**

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

**What did you think? Click on the button below and let me know :)**

**Till 11, adios!**


	11. The Road Less Travelled

**Hello everyone!**

**Thank you for reading this far! If you are reading this at roughly the Jan/Feb 2012 point, then I apologise for the sudden drop in quality that will meet you in the next chapter; this story's earlier chapters are currently being rewritten to match the level the later chapters reached. To those who have read it before, don't worry! The plot isn't changing, just the writing style, and a few tweaks to make it consistent! Because of the way the continuity changes slightly in the rewrites, I need to write the rest up to chapter 16 before I can upload them, but keep an eye out for them! They will get published at the same time as the epilogue to the story :)**

**Anyways, without further ado...**

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

Manny felt numb as he listened to Diego and Frank speaking. Save the gentle crackle of the fire, nothing else seemed to make a sound as the two spoke. He glanced up at the cliffs and starry night above, a part of him noting how beautifully peaceful it was.

Yet, inside, he was in turmoil.

Paying attention to the story they told, full of human betraying human, long forgotten vengeances and the newly enslaved powers behind it, he could only think of two things;

_We're on the run, again,_ he thought, letting out a sigh as he did so. _And Peaches is in danger._

He scanned the crowd around the fire, spotting every member of his herd, the humans, Keira and various other important people from the valley. The look on everyone's faces said it all; no matter where he looked, he saw tiredness, confusion,

and _fear._

"...after that the human, Terry, said Soto ordered them to hunt us down," Diego said as Manny returned his attention to him. "And the only good news we have is that we have a head start; we're outnumbered, and they now _also _have firesti- ah, I mean, rifles. We gotta run."

"How long do we have?" Keira asked plaintively.

Frank leant forward.

"We have till noon," He said. "If we're going to have a chance, we need to be as far away from here by then as we can be."

"The herd and the village should go separately."

Every set of eyes falling upon him made Manny realise _he _just said that. Remaining still for a moment, he collected his thoughts, trying to figure out _why _they should separate.

"Why should we do that, Manny?" Keira said softly.

"Because they aren't coming after the village," Manny replied. "They're after _us_. So we split up; the eleven of us they're actually after," He gestured towards both the humans and the herd. "Will head north, the village will head east as far as the Wildernesse Plains before heading north."

"North to where?" Ellie asked.

"Glacier Pass." Manny stated.

Half the crowd gasped; the humans and Buck's blank stares conveyed their confusion, whilst Keira merely stared at the sky, smiling approvingly.

He felt Ellie's stare fall upon him. Meeting her eyes, he saw the full force of her shock.

"Tell me you're kidding." She said.

"Name _one _place between here and Glacier Pass where sabres wouldn't go," He replied defensively, padding the ground with his foot to drive home his point. "A place where we would definitely be safe from them. Name _one."_

Ellie pursed her lips, remaining silent. Buck, attention turned briefly to his knife, shrugged slightly.

"Wot's Glacier Pass?" He quizzed. "An' why is everyone 'aving a fit cos of it?

"It's a ravine," Keira replied. "Roughly three _months_ travel north from here. It is _also _deep in a region where human hunters have been growing more and more active over the last few years. Soto would be a fool to follow us there, because we'd be fools for going there," Her lips curled into a smile. "Brilliant."

"Three _months?_" Frank remarked incredulously as several others whispered _'human hunters?' _fearfully. "Isn't there anywhere nearer?"

Diego shook his head,

"The Meltdown Valley, maybe," He said quietly. "But Soto wouldn't stop hunting us there. Manny's right; the Pass is our best shot."

"Why can't we fight them?" Ben asked. "We beat them once, we can do it again!"

"We _didn't_ beat them; we surprised them," Frank replied. "And this time there will be more of them...and Terry. Believe me; you don't want to be on the wrong side of Terry."

"Who is this Terry?" Ellie said, perplexed. "You mentioned him, but not actually told us anything about him."

Even in the dim light of the fire, Manny could see the human's expression darken. His heart sank slightly, realising after a while the look he sported;

_He feels betrayed._

"_Terry,_" Frank began, virtually spitting out of the name. "Is my...sister's husba- _mate. _He's someone that, if it comes to a fight, you want him on your side, because he the best fighters I know. Unfortunately for us, Soto has my sister hostage, and so this brute of a man is now coming after us."

"That's not really fair to say-" Claire said softly.

"The man left you and Ben to die," Frank snapped back. "So forgive me if I think it _is._"

As the humans talked, Manny shot a significant glance at Ellie, who shot one back; they both knew what they were hearing was hyperbole.

_At least I hope it is, _he thought.

Even so, the mood around the campfire became brooding and fretful. Suddenly, no one - either vocally or on their faces - seemed to contest going to Glacier Pass. Hyperbole or not, Manny was thankful; the story made his job all the easier.

"Way to brighten the mood, buddy," He remarked aloud. "So, I'm thinking we run and avoid the bloodthirsty brute. Anyone wanna disagree?" Silence greeted him. "Anyone? Anyone at all?...good. Then it's settled. Tomorrow we make for Glacier Pass."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The sun rose over the cliffs, casting the dawn's light on the trails of animals flooding out of the forests and glades. Manny - the only herd member awake - looked on silently, watching the scenes below him unfold, knowing full well he was seeing the village fleeing their valley. He pictured the faces, the names, the annoying little quirks of the villagers who had become his neighbours over the years, imagining what they would be doing as they travelled out into the unknown...

_Gone, _he thought. _All gone now._

He could hear the noises of the migration, even from his little hillock beside the cliffs. Slowly, as he listened, the village grew quieter and quieter, until there was no noise to be heard.

Before the sun had even managed to break away from the cliffs, the valley was engulfed in silence. Manny fought back the tears he sensed wanting to well in his eyes; it was only then, after the valley had upped and left, that he realised that what the decision of the night before entailed them.

_Are we ever going to see them again? _He asked himself. He scanned his surroundings, suddenly wishing he didn't have to leave. _Are we even going to see this place again?_

"I know that look."

His head snapped around, surprised to find Keira standing beside him. His gaze flickered between the antelope and the disappearing dots on the horizon.

"Ah...shouldn't you be with the village?" He quizzed. "It's kinda Fleeing-for-your-life Day, in case you haven't notice-"

"That look is the look of a person whose heart longs for nothing more than a home," She continued, as if unaware that Manny had spoken. "But who has had to leave too many places, said goodbye to too many people, buried too many loved ones,"

She looked up at him. His snapped his head away, unable to stand up to her intense, piercing stare. All of a sudden, he felt naked; as if every defence he had set up inside to hide his feelings crumbled.

He never enjoyed the experience whenever _that_ gaze fell on him; the only person who had ever made him feel utterly transparent, was Keira.

"Your heart has taken so many hits over the years it no longer thinks you will ever get a home anymore," She said softly. "But we _will_ return, Manny. Soto cannot hunt us forever; one day he will fall, and we shall make this valley full again. This will be a home again."

He smiled slightly, gaze returned once more to the horizon, his mind's eye dwelling on the village.

"I'll hold you to that." He said softly.

Her chuckle filled the air around him. It felt as warm, lively, and genuine to his ears as the sun did on his fur.

"I wouldn't expect you to do otherwise," She replied, smiling. "But in the meantime, take care of yourself, the herd, _and _the humans."

He cocked his head at her in surprise.

"The _humans_?" He repeated. "They look like they can take care of themselves!"

"Looks can be deceiving," She said. "And the truth is they know nothing of this place; they do not know the dangers, threats and opportunities of the world out there," She made a gesture, encompassing the entire horizon. "But you, _do_. Take care of them, Manny. There may come a day when they will take care of you."

He let out a long, drawn out sigh.

"Alright! Fine," He murmured. "I will."

"Good," She said, surveying the valley as she did so. For one, brief moment, Manny saw sorrow in her eyes.

"Right, well, I should get going now," She stated airily, trotting down the hill as she did so. "I promised the villagers I would be quick."

"Aren't antelope supposed to be fast?" He called out to her just as she jumped the stream at the bottom.

"Will test that for you, and let you know my answer at Glacier Pass!" She called back. "Fare well, Manny!"

Manny stood in his spot, scanning the plains beyond for Keira. Even as the cave behind him slowly awoke, he remained still. Eventually, he saw one solitary antelope emerge from the forests, making its way towards the valley's exit, blurring into a mere dot on the horizon. He smiled, feeling his eyes well up.

"So long, Keira," He murmured. "May Breda guide your ways, till our paths cross again."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Breakfast felt muted to Manny, even if nothing outwardly seemed different. Their little camp felt bustling, but even the knowledge that the entire valley was empty _except _for his herd left him oddly disheartened. Trying to shake the thoughts out of his mind, he focussed on what happened around him. He watched as Diego quietly left to go hunting, Claire emerging to chat with Ellie, and the possums...

He sat up, watching Crash and Eddie intently, recognising their mischievous smiles even from a distant. Piece by piece, he realised what they were up to. By standards that were quick for mammoths, he was on his feet.

"Crash! Eddie!" He said loudly. "Wait!"

The possums paused, guilty expressions etched onto their faces.

"Morning bro!" Crash called out, smiling nervously.

Moving forward quickly, Manny took a seat at the lip of the hill.

"Continue." He said, making a permissive gesture with his trunk. Looking on, he watched with satisfaction as a loudly snoring Sid, fast asleep on his bedding of bark, slid down the hill, rushing towards the stream.

"Whe-what's going onaaaaaaahhhhhhGRAAAAAAAAH!"

Manny smiled, taking in a deep breath as the screams from a suddenly awake Sid filled the valley.

"Ah, morning," He said wistfully. "One time of the day where listening to Sid is a pleasure."

"YOU STUPID, SMELLY, DUMBRAAAAAH! WHYISITSOCOLD!"

He couldn't help but grin.

"Can't beat it," He murmured. Peering over the lip of the hill, he burst into laughter at the sodden, miserably flopping apparition beside the stream.

"Morning Sid!" He called out airily, hiding none of his amusement. "Sleep well?"

"I'M GLAD YOU FIND IT FUNNY MANNY!" Sid screeched. "JUST YOU WAIT! I'M GONNA-"

"Oh, _sure_," Manny replied. "I'm sure you're going to do terrible things to me as payback. Don't forget to torture the possums too! Let me know how that goes!"

He turned, moving towards the fire, leaving the sloth to his own devices.

"...M-manny? MANNY! Wait up!"

"What?" He asked. Before he could turn, he felt his trunk being yanked away. "What the...?"

Stunned, he merely watched as Sid dried himself, using _his_ trunk. It felt disgusting, uncomfortable, worthy of being sat on...

_Audacious, _he noted. He surprised even himself with the faint trace of _admiration _the thought possessed.

Finished, Sid casually let his trunk drop to the floor.

"Thanks Manny!" He called back. "Feel so much better now!"

He stood there, staring at his trunk with distaste.

"Manny!" Ellie shouted. "I'm going to get breakfast. Wanna join me?"

"In a minute!" He replied as he made his way slowly down the hill. "Just got a powerful urge to wash my trunk. In the stream. Repeatedly. Till there's no fur left."

He waited until he was out of earshot before he began grumbling. He didn't want to leave, didn't want anything they faced to happen. All he wanted was for things to remain the same.

"And, with all of that, I now have become Sid's towel," He muttered. "Great. Just great."

"Hey, Manny?" Ellie called out. "Do you know where Frank is?"

"No, why?"

"He's not here!"

He glanced up at Ellie, now at the top of the hill, eyes full of bewilderment.

"I didn't see him leave," He replied. "And I've been up for a while!"

"So where is he?" She quizzed.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Alone in the glade, hillock and stream in view, Frank could do nothing but stare at the wreckages before him. Slowly, pre-dawn's light revealed the sheer devastation of the crash. He closed his eyes, struck by how unlikely anyone could have survived such an incident, let alone survive it relatively intact; he was thankful that _both _had happened. Yet all he could really think about was Terry, and his decisions on that very spot.

_I had no choice! _Terry's voice rang out in his mind, as if in protest. _It was either leaving them to die or having all of us eaten!_

He tried to picture the scene; sabres on the hill, the crash having just happened, the chaos and confusion of it all. The fear...

_What would you have done, Frank? _He asked himself; he heard it in Terry's voice. _Wouldn't you have done the same if it meant most of us survived? What if it was Charlie and Nigel in that truck, and not Ben and Claire? _

He didn't know how to answer his own question. Deep down he knew he didn't want to; he knew the answer already.

"And I nearly shot him for doing what I would have done." He murmured aloud.

To his surprise, as he scanned his surroundings again, the sun was in the sky;

and higher in the sky than he would have liked.

Grumbling under his breath, he jumped the stream and got to work. Slowly, methodically, he yanked out anything out of the wreckage they could use; radios, rations, weapons...

"Morning."

He jumped, narrowly missing a sharpened point of tangled metal. Glancing out of the wreckage, he could make out Diego's paws beside the truck, his body occluded by what little remained of a door.

"Morning," He replied mutedly. "How are you today?"

"Fine," Diego said. "You missed breakfast, Frank."

"Didn't feel hungry." He replied tersely, once more rummaging for useable supplies.

"You didn't sleep last night either," Diego added. "And managed to get away before Manny - who _also _didn't sleep last night - said goodbye to the villagers...how long have you been here, Frank?"

Frank let out a grunt,

"Sorry mother!" He said, his pitch as high as he could make it. "I was just _so _excited about Christmas I just couldn't sleep!"

"What?" Diego remarked, utterly nonplussed.

"Never mind, dear!" Frank replied sarcastically. "By all means, keep talking. It's not as if I'm doing much at the moment; just trying to find supplies, weapons and whatnot that will keep us from dying, but _sure_ - let's talk about my sleeping habits!"

The ground rumbled methodically, before suddenly coming to a stop. Even though he had only been around them for just over a day, he still recognised the movement; a quick glance outside confirmed it for him when he saw the feet of a mammoth.

"Wonderful," He grunted. "Now I have a mammoth and a sabre, here to helpfully distract me. Just bloody brilliant, that."

"Oh great," Manny huffed. "A hungry, cranky, sleep deprived human _and _Sid on this trip! This day gets better by the minute."

"What part of 'busy' do none of you understand?" He called out, trying hard as he could to keep working.

"The part where sabres come and eat us if we don't leave _now_."

Claire's voice froze him in his work. Edging out of the truck slowly, he found himself faced by the whole herd. Glancing up at the sky, he grimaced.

"How long have I been here?" He asked aloud, more to himself than anyone else.

"Have a guess, genius," Manny said plainly, gesturing towards the sky. "Playtimes' over, kid; we have to go. _Now."_

_"Or_," He replied insinuatingly. "You can help me get out anything useful from this wreckage _quickly, _and then we can immediately run for our lives."

"Anything useful," Manny said, his eyes settling on the truck. The mammoth's features creased, struggling to find a mix between annoyance and bemusement as he studied the mangled truck. "From there?"

"Yes, from there!" Frank retorted in exasperation. Ducking back inside, he threw out several items. "Such as walkie talkies, rations, blankets. Things we will find useful!"

He looked out, staring at the mammoth. Manny's gaze flickered between the truck, the ground and the sun above, eyes deep in thought. Slowly, but surely, his eyes fell onto Peaches, standing beside her mother, bright eyes staring into his. He let out a long, drawn out sigh,

"All right, fine," He murmured. "But let's make this quick."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The thing felt cumbersome on his trunk. Ever since Frank strapped it on, Manny could do little else but stare at it with a look of utter blankness, mystified as to what it could be.

"What's this weird black...rocky...thing?" He mumbled.

"It's a radio," Frank said hurriedly. "All right, we're all set! How about we run for our lives?"

Manny didn't reply, attention still fixed on the 'radio'. He looked up, noting the same absent expression on Diego, Buck and Ellie, all of them newly equipped with the things.

"What are they for?" He asked slowly.

"We use them to communicate over long distances," Frank said. "Up to two or three miles if needs be. Or a hundred feet of solid rock."

The mammoth stared at the thing on his trunk in surprise.

"Right..." He murmured. "And how does a rock do that?"

"_Because it's not a rock,"_ Frank said quietly. He jerked backwards unknowingly; shocked that he heard the human's voice coming from the thing on his trunk rather than the human. "_It's a piece of technology."_

Manny instantly disliked it. It seemed too outlandish, too surreal for his liking. The possums and Peaches, however, stared at the radios in awe.

"Dude," Crash exclaimed. "That's..._awesome."_

Frank made a dismissive gesture.

"Yes, yes, I'm sure it's incredible and so on," He said quickly. "Now haven't we got to go? We have got several dozen hungry sabres after us."

Frank glanced quickly up at the sky. Following the human's gaze, Manny winced; the sun was directly above them.

_It's noon, _he thought with dread.

"We need to go," Manny agreed. "Now."

Without a word, everyone began to move, as if suddenly aware of what was truly going on. With every step, Manny thought of the valley they were leaving, how empty it truly would be now.

It sent a shiver up his spine; of all the places he had been over the years, the valley was the closest thing he had had to a home in a long time. It hurt him to think of it as utterly empty, more so to think of it as being abandoned to Soto.

Against every instinct, every fibre of his being, he felt himself slow to a stop. He knew he wanted one last glance of the valley, just in case.

_In case Keira was wrong, in case we are wrong, in case we don't make it..._

He forced his mind into silence, suppressing all the fears that had already been assailing him for a day.

The valley appeared glorious to him in the golden sunlight of day. He could see the forests, the glades, the lakes and pools of water, the cliffs above the herd's cave...

_What the? _He thought in shock.

He stared at the figure on the cliffs; although it was too distant for him to see it's features, he could tell what it was from its' shape;

_Human._

Manny knew it had to be the human Frank had told him about; it had to be 'Terry'.

He wished the human was nearer; he wanted something to beat into tiny little pieces, something on which he could unleash his anger at the situation. But, just as much, he was grateful the human was so far away. Awkwardly, he curled his trunk around the device strapped to it, pressing it close to his mouth.

"Guys," He said slowly. "I can see human on the cliffs; could be Terry. Looks like we've got loads of time."

He paused for a moment, wondering whether he had even used the radio correctly. Suddenly, it flared to life, Frank's voice filling the air.

"_Roger that Manny, nice to hear a bit of good news for once! Now hurry up! We're waiting for you. Frank, over and out."_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Terry looked on - eyes fixed on the distant set of dots he knew were Frank, Ben, Claire and their new allies - with longing. He rued their freedom, even if they were having to flee.

_Flee from me, _he added, heart sinking further.

"It looks like they took the bait."

Terry recognised the voice and responded accordingly; he didn't move, nor even show any recognition of Soto's presence; he felt no need to show the sabre any respect. Not after what he had forced him to agree to.

"Seems like, boss," Terry grumbled. "Just so I know, why do you want me to hunt them?"

Soto came alongside him, eyes likewise focussed on the herd in the distance, watching as they vanished from view.

"I want them to know fear," He said calmly. "To spend what little is left of their pathetic lives paying the price for what they did to me."

"And then I swoop in, steal their kid, and bring it back for you to eat," Terry finished, curling his lips in disgust. "With all the respect you're due, _boss, _you're an asshole."

Soto's lips curled into a cruel smile, annoying Terry even more; not even insults could curb his enthusiasm for his schemes.

"Maybe I am, human," He replied. "But I suggest you push me no further, or I shall prove it. Your mate will be a good enough example."

"Go to hell boss," Terry spat. He had to stop himself; anger wouldn't save Sam. As much as he hated to admit it, only obeying orders would save her.

_For now, _he thought acridly. He wasn't stupid; he knew Soto had no intention of letting them go, ever.

_At least not alive._

"Sorry, boss," He said, tone conveying no apology whatsoever. "When does my team set out after them?"

"You leave at dusk," Soto replied coolly. "And you have one month to achieve your mission, or I shall eat your mate as compensation."

It took all of his will not to rise to the bait. He finally turned to stare at Soto, knowing that nothing would make him happier than to smash in his smug face. He took several deep breaths, pushing down everything he was feeling.

"Aye aye, sir," He mumbled. "I won't fail."

Soto shot him a cruel smile,

"You had better not," He said. "For your sake."

-**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

**End of Chapter 11**

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

**What did you think? Well...button below this, letting me know...hopefully you know the drill by now :P**

**Till chapter 12,**

**Adieu!**


	12. Shadows

**Hello everyone!**

**First off, thank you everyone for the really positive reviews of these rewritten versions of these chapters! If you have read this story before and suddenly fearing everything is different, relax; the plot hasn't changed, just the way it's written...and a few major-but-not-plot-altering things, like characterisation to better fit what the characters are in the later chapters. **

**As always, please read and review! Constructive criticism definitely welcome, just remember that constructive criticism is _constructive_**.

**Anyways, without further ado...**

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

Over a week had passed without a single sight of Soto, Terry or their sabres. Manny knew he should be relieved, but he knew better; just because he couldn't see them, does not mean they weren't there. Even how they travelled showed it wasn't just himself who thought so; he could see Diego subtly scouting out ahead of the herd, Claire - sat atop Ellie's back usually - keeping an eye out with a rifle they recovered from the wreckage, and Frank keeping watch with him at the rear. In a way, he realised, he _was _relieved; they were at least well defended if an ambush awaited them.

The sound of laughter snapped him out of his thoughts. Scanning his herd, he couldn't help but furrow his brows. By all rights, they were refugees, fleeing from their home in fear of their lives.

Only there was no fear; only excitement.

"This is the coolest holiday ever!" Crash exclaimed exclaimed gleefully as he dashed through the herd, keenly dodging Ben's attempts at tagging him. Manny let out a sigh, rolling his eyes as he did so.

"This isn't a holiday!" He said sharply.

"You can say that again," Frank murmured quietly. "I hate holidays. Touristy stuff just isn't me."

Manny smiled at the human; no one else seemed to notice he had even spoken, as the chatter around him turned more and more towards the idea of a holiday. To his surprise, the discussion even trumped playing games, as the possums, Ben and Peaches rejoined them.

"Ooo! Ooo!" Eddie spluttered, hand raised high in the air. "I wanna see the Meltdown Valley again!"

"This _isn't _a holiday!" Manny protested.

"That's a great idea Eddie!" Ellie said, her face lighting up in excitement. Manny could merely stare in stupefaction.

"...Is anyone even listening to me?" He asked.

"Oh! And there's a forest by the Lower Falls that has the juiciest apple trees!" Ellie continued, oblivious to her mate's annoyance.

"Don't forget the hot mud baths near Half Peak!" Sid chimed in, rising from his stupor on Manny's back.

Manny looked on in resignation as two suggestions became dozens...then hundreds. All of a sudden, he found himself faced with something he had dreaded as soon as even the whiff of a holiday cropped up; an _itinerary. _He spotted Diego's smirk from afar, knowing the the sabre had looked back just to watch the mammoth's unique art of squirming under uncomfortable decisions.

The worst part was that he knew the sabre was intensely enjoying his discomfort.

He snatched his gaze away, determined to share a look of exasperation with the only other person who seemed to be as unwilling as he was.

"Oy," He muttered, hoping Frank would hear. "So we're apparently on holiday now...that's just great."

Frank shrugged, a slight smirk across his face.

"I guess it helps to take their minds off of everything," He remarked. "It's either this or everyone being fearful for their lives."

Manny grunted.

"Good point," He said. "I hadn't thought of that. It's just..."

Any attempt at continuing his sentence simply ceased as a noise rose above the din, filling his ears and mind with it's searing horribleness. He shot an angry glance above him, trying to gauge where Sid's head was, hoping he could hit him with his trunk hard enough that it would stop. To his dismay, Sid had placed himself far enough back to be out of his range.

_Why did he have to learn? _He thought ruefully.

"What...is that?" Frank said, wincing at the noise. Manny sighed once more,

"That's... Sid," He said mutedly. "Singing."

Frank blinked.

"He's _singing?_" He remarked. "Wow, ok...I would have placed it under 'torture' but sure, let's go with 'singing'."

"Hey!" The sloth cried out from atop Manny. "That's no way to talk about raw talent!"

"Torture could be a raw talent!" Eddie commented. "Sure fits what we're hearing!"

"Fine," Sid huffed. "I'll shut up and just go back to sleep then!"

"Thank God!" Frank exclaimed.

"_Or,"_ Eddie said, pretending to nonchalantly glance at his nails. "You could be less lame and play tag with us."

"You...you want me to play tag with you?" Sid said in surprise.

"What?" Manny and Frank said in unison.

"Yeah!" Crash added. "C'mon, Sid! Let's play."

Even as Crash was talking, the sloth slid down Manny's face, much to his displeasure. Once more he found himself surrounded by the chaos of a game of tag, as if the holiday discussion had never even happened. He let out a long, drawn out sigh, only to be interrupted by a gentle punch on the shoulder. He glanced sideways, surprised to find Ellie now alongside him, smiling more broadly than he thought possible.

"Lighten up tough guy, we're on holiday!" She said enthusiastically.

_Don't remind me, _he groaned inside. Outwardly, he shot her a half smile,

"I guess you're right."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

As the sun set over the plains, everything around the herd seemed to explode into colour; everything from the trees, the lakes surrounding them, even the sky itself, burned with colours they couldn't even imagine. No one even thought to begin making the camp, attentions flickering everywhere, trying to soak up as much of the beauty as they could before the sun disappeared. Before they knew it, darkness began to set in earnest. Just as quickly, the herd set to work; Manny, Sid and Claire set about setting up a camp - and keeping an eye on the possums, Ben and Peaches as they entertained themselves - as Ellie disappeared to forage. Frank, feeling distinctly left out, pottered about until Diego dragged him away to hunt. It had felt like hours had passed before the herd finally managed to enjoy the comforts of food, warmth and shelter.

Finally contented, Frank glanced over at one of the extra rucksacks he had pulled from the wreckage. He had checked its' contents, relieved to find them still intact. He knew its true owner had saved it for himself to drink.

Full as he was, Frank reasoned it that that notion alone was worth him drinking it. Slowly, he edged over to the bag, keen not to attract interest, least of all from Claire.

"Whiskey, Frank?" Claire said, freezing him in his tracks. "Seriously?"

He knew he was caught out. All the same, he pulled out the bottle, careful to select several items that could stand in for cups as well. He spun round, grinning sheepishly, bottle on full display.

"Glenfidditch," He stated. "At least twenty years old, and belonging to Terry."

The rest of the herd, till then merely bemused, sat up slightly.

"Terry?" Manny said. "As in the-psycho-trying-to-kill-us Terry?"

"Would anyone else have a stupid name like that?" He quipped. "Figured, seeing as he is busy trying to kill us, I would have me a little revenge."

Claire stared at him, utterly unimpressed.

"By drinking _his _whiskey?"

Eyes locked with Claire's, he pulled out the stopper, sloppily poured himself a glassful, and downed it in one. It took all of his willpower to resist the urge to cringe; it was so strong, it seemed to burn his throat.

"Precisely," He croaked hoarsely. He glanced at the bottle in surprise. "Brute though he is, the man's got taste."

She let out a grunt,

"I hope your head hurts in the morning." She muttered.

"Well, according to you, we are on holiday," He replied, grinning. He took another swig, reducing his voice to a whisper. "Drinking on holiday is what Brits do best."

Claire rolled her eyes and turned away. Smiling again, she glanced between the herd members, attempting to turn their gazes away from his whiskey swigging antics .

"So, I've been meaning to ask," She said, her tone forcibly breezy. "But you're...well...are you a common sort of herd here?"

A small wave of chuckled rose around the fire.

"Well, not exactly," Diego replied. He couldn't help but smile as Diego's expression changed; he had lost count on how often he knew Claire wanted to know something merely from her eyes.

"It's a long story, though," The sabre added quickly.

"Well," She said, leaning back against a backpack. "The evening is young, we're around a campfire, and my husband is currently busy getting sozzled. I am _very_ much up for a long story."

"Ok," Diego said ambivalently. "You'd better get comfy, all of you-"

"Already am," Claire said, smiling.

"Sho am I!" Frank added.

_Slurring already? _He thought, trying to peer at the bottle in the dark. _How strong is this stuff?_

"All right then!" Manny exclaimed. "Well then, It all started about 10 years ago when..."

Frank heard bits and pieces of the story afterwards; if it wasn't for the fact it was a talking animal that said it, he would have dismissed what he had heard as flights of fancy. As time went past, he heard less and less of the story, his little act of revenge consuming him all but completely.

_Revenge tastes good, _he noted.

Slowly, but surely, he felt his eyes begin to grow heavy...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank awoke to the uncomfortably strong sensation of his head wanting to explode. Slowly, achingly, he sat himself up. The sky was black, save the light of the waning moon. Licking his lips, he noted how cold it suddenly felt.

"Morning."

Even Diego's whisper seemed loud to him. Slowly, blearily, he glanced over at the sabre.

"Ungh," He replied. "Why are you up?"

Diego shrugged,

"Midnight hunt," He said. "Why are you?"

"Hangover," Frank replied curtly. "Feel like death."

"Don't look it," Diego replied. "What is a hangover, anyway?"

"Ask some other time."

"Ok...how about coming with me on the hunt? Probably do you some good."

Frank pondered the sabre's proposal. It had a lot of things going for it; plenty of crisp air, very little light, something to distract him from his throbbing head...

"I'll get my gun," He paused, suddenly aware how quiet, and _asleep, _everything seemed to be. He briefly turned his head to the cliffs, and began to search for his-

_Wait._

As fast as his head allowed him, he cast his eyes back to the cliffs. Diego, bemused, followed his eye-line. After searching for a few moments, he froze, hardening into something Frank assumed was shock.

"Diego," Frank whispered. "Does a sabre's eyes glint in the moonlight?"

"Yeah," The sabre replied slowly. "But...it's odd. Those eyes are small. Can't be much more than a cub," His eyes turned onto Frank, full of questions,

"What's Soto doing sending a cub after us?"

Frank ignored the question. He took a deep breath, suddenly feeling like a fool for not having scouted out their surroundings as soon as he arrived. Slowly, calmly, he reached for his rifle, removing its' scope. Peering through it, his heart sank further.

"Damn," He murmured.

"What?" Diego said quietly.

"You see those glints beside the sabres?" He said, pointing as subtly as he could.

"Yeah?"

"Those aren't eyes," He said. "They're scopes..." He grunted, shocked at the revelation. "Damnit...they're here. I don't know how they got ahead of us, but they're here."

Diego stared at him, eyes wide with shock.

"You what?" He spluttered.

"_They _are here," Frank repeated. "Terry. Is. _Here_."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Terry looked on, watching the scenes unfold beneath through his scope. He envied the peaceful, quiet scene he saw before him, envied Frank for the whiskey he saw him drink, envied all of them.

"We can't let this happen, Terry," Charlie, nestled beside him, mussitated. "We just can't."

"Agreed," He said. He gestured towards the gorge that stood prominently not far from them. "This ravine here is perfect for our plan. Just need to find some way of contacting-"

"They look so peaceful!" One of the sabres behind him whispered excitedly. "Why can't we just take them now?"

"Pipe down, or so help me, I will end you," Terry growled. "Ain't fair to take them on that way."

_They need time to prepare, _he thought,_ to defend themselves, to ensure they survived._

He let out an angry sigh; he wanted the herd below him to survive. He also wanted Sam to live and, from where he sat, neither position seemed compatible.

"What's the point in fair?" Another sabre groaned. "Fair doesn't feed us!"

"Fine, how about _dishonourable_ then?" Terry snapped.

True enough, silence greeted him. He glanced over, resisting the urge to snarl at the sabres.

"Now those of you who ain't a kid, get to sleep," He stated, eyes briefly darting over the one sabre he knew was unwilling to be there. The cub - scrawny by any standard - smiled slightly. "Yer no good to me if you can't do your job for being tired."

He waited, realising almost a dozen pair of surprised eyes settled on him.

"That's an order," He spat. "Now get going before I shoot you!"

He watched as the sabres skirted away, scowl in place until no one but himself, Charlie and the cub remained. Finally alone, he took a moment to study the reclusive sabre. Unintentionally, his scowl returned, but not from anger; the cub looked thin, malnourished, even showing signs of being beaten.

"You know," He said quietly. "I didn't want you on this mission, but not cos I got anything 'gainst you; you're just a kid. You shouldn't be on raiding parties, let alone dangerous ones like this. So I'm thinking Soto's got something against you," He paused, waiting for an answer that didn't come. "Am I right?"

The sabre pawed the ground slightly, eyes fixed on the dirt.

"Y-yes, sir," He stammered.

Terry paused, eyes briefly flickering to Charlie. He hoped the man was thinking the same thing he was. To his relief, Charlie briefly smiled, nodding as he did so. Even as he studied the sabre before him, he couldn't help but smile a little himself;

_He's so weak lookin', they wont see him as a threat, _he rationalised.

"What's your name, son?" He asked.

"M-Mark, sir."

"Well, Mark, I have a proposal for you."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Diego spun, preparing to wake everyone as quickly as he could. Frank reattached the scope to his rifle, aiming it intently at the cliffs. Peering out, he saw Terry, waving his arms, gesturing towards something...

_Radio, _he realised.

"Diego stop!" He whispered forcefully. The sabre paused, staring at him with disbelief.

"A pack of sabres is staring at us, and you want me to _wait?_" He hissed.

He met Diego's question with silence, staring intently at Terry. Through wild hand gestures, he slowly understood what he was saying;

_Channel seventeen._

Slowly, ambivalently, Frank duly obliged.

"Your whiskey was delicious," He said flatly. "But I bet you knew tha-"

"_Quit yer yapping and listen_," Terry's voice hissed. "_I ain't the bad guy here_."

Frank snorted,

"Oh, _sure_, ok, it was all just some big mixup then! So you're just out on a camping trip with some new sabre mates of yours and decided to come here for the view?"

Silence greeted him for a long moment.

"We need to talk," Terry replied. "But I can't leave; be too suspicious...I'm sending someone down to you."

He rolled his eyes,

"Nice try, but please make your traps a little less obvi-"

"This ain't a trap boss," Terry retorted. "It's a proposal. Messenger's only a kid, so please don't go shooting him."

He shot a glance at Diego, who looked as confused as he was. Even so, the sabre silently mouthed '_I told you it was a cub'_ at him.

"What's this...cub...going to propose?" Frank asked tentatively.

"...it ain't safe for me to say here, boss," Terry replied. "Just hear him out, ok? Can I get your word on that?"

His eyes remained on Diego. Several moments passed, but Diego finally nodded.

"Ok, fine," Frank replied. "And when shall we expect this messenger?"

"_He's on his way now, boss. Should be with you soon...and boss?"_

"Yes?"

_"I'm sorry, boss."_

Frank snorted, quickly switching off the radio. As he stood there, he couldn't help but stare at the figure on the cliffs, wanting to hate him for everything.

"You can wake them now, Diego," He said wearily. "Seems like we have company."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

End of Chapter 12

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**What did ye think? Let me know! Click on that wonderful little button below and speak forth your opinions!**

**Till 13,**

**T**


	13. Truth

**I have a confession to make; the chapter this rewrite has replaced was one of my least liked chapters in this entire story. Even the rewrite isn't exactly my favourite, but at least its better and has something akin to plot advancement in it. Ah well, can't win them all :)**

**Without further ado...**

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

Manny watched the cub as he disappeared back into the darkness of the night, a frown etched onto his face. For almost an hour, he had sat and listened to the little sabre tell them _everything_ they could possibly want to know; how many sabres there were, where they were going to be positioned, even what tactics they were planning to use. None of it made sense to him; why, he reasoned, would Terry arrange to tell them what they were planning to do?

Now that he was certain he was out of earshot, he looked at his herd; confusion racked everyone's faces, evidently also at a loss as to what was going on. Frank stood apart, eyes locked on the cliffs beyond. Eventually, they broke the silence, talking animatedly about what to do. Every so often, Manny glanced over at Frank, who still remained apart, and still remained utterly silent.

"This feels...weird," Ellie said slowly, snatching his attention back. "Way too weird."

"Who sets up a trap, and then lets the buggers who it's for know it's there?" Buck quizzes.

Manny looked at Diego, hoping to gauge the sabre's thoughts. His brow was furrowed, all of his attention consumed in studying the crude drawings in the centre of the herd; drawings the cub had made, giving them every position and tactic Terry intended to use.

"This makes no sense," Diego agreed. "Which is why I think it's a trap."

"Well duh," Crash interjected. "Thats what he said, dude."

"Not _that_ plan!" Diego snapped. "I mean _telling _us about the plan."

Manny cocked his head,

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I don't think this is the plan they're gonna use," Diego stated, gesturing at the drawings. "Buck's right; no one would set up an ambush and tell someone about it."

He nodded, admittedly tempted by the idea. He turned, staring intently at Frank, eyes narrowing in thought. Everything the human had said thus far suggests he knew their hunter far better than anyone else around the fire that night, yet the mammoth couldn't help but notice how _silent _he had been.

"There's something we're missing, isn't there," Manny said, eyes fixed on Frank. "Something we don't know?"

Frank blinked, as if surprised to find himself standing where he was.

"What?" He murmured.

"You've been silent ever since the cub left," Manny replied. "Your turn to chip in. None of us know this Terry except you, Claire and Ben, and you're the only one who seems to know him well. It's story time, kiddo; what have we missed?"

Frank let out a sigh, eyes lingering on the cliffs for a moment. Suddenly, the human animated himself, moving swiftly into the centre of the circle, gesturing at the drawings.

"This attack plan is flawed," He began. "It has left way too many gaps, and Terry hasn't even bothered to put himself and Charlie in positions where they could make use of the rifles."

"Meaning?" Diego asked.

"Meaning one of two things; either you're right and telling us is the trap, or he _wants _to be beaten."

Manny studied the human intently, surprised at what he saw;

_Frank thinks the second one is right, _he noted.

"So why do you think he wants to be beaten?" He quizzed.

Frank shook his head slowly, as if confused by the question himself.

"Terry is a soldier," He stated. "And no matter how much he won't admit it, he follows everything by the book."

"So?" Ellie said.

"So telling your target about your plan _isn't_ by the book," Frank continued. "This whole situation makes no sense unless he's been pushed to a point where his orders don't sit well..." He grunted, lips curling into a rueful smile. "Sam told me he had a conscience; finally I have a shred of proof. He doesn't want to beat us. I really do think he wants to be beaten."

"Wait," Diego cut in. "What about your sister? I was there when he said it was either Peaches' life or Sam's; if he loses, what happens to your sister?"

Manny felt his heart leap up into his throat, mentally kicking himself for not remembering. Looking at Frank, he suddenly remembered that the human had friends and family on both sides of the fight. The mammoth looked down, ashamed he had forgotten; he had been so busy worrying for his herd, for Peaches' safety, he didn't stop to think about what the humans were going through. Looking up, he saw pain in Frank's eyes.

"Terry must have a plan," Frank murmured quietly. "He wouldn't put Sam in danger; he must have a plan..."

"Speakin' of plans, wots ours?" Buck said. "Are we gonna do wot they've told us to do, or not?"

Manny nodded slightly, yet his mind still dwelt on Frank.

"Don't worry about your sister," He said quietly. "I'm sure you're right; the human must have a plan," He stretched out, taking the chance to look every herd member in the eye. "Right, this isn't exactly normal so we're gonna put it to a vote."

Silence hung over the herd as they waited, expectantly, for the question.

He took a deep breath,

"Do we stay and fight?" He asked. "Or do we run?"

Once more, silence hung over the herd.

**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

**END OF CHAPTER 13**

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

**Till 13,**

**T**


	14. The Gorge

**Hey everyone! **

**A short A/N this time! Apologies to anyone who read the original version whilst the rewritten chaps 1-11 were also up; turns out there was some duplication. The flashback scenes have already been covered, so they aren't here, which is why this rewrite is actually _shorter _than the original.**

**Without further ado...**

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

_Mist_.

Terry stood atop one of a series of rock formations that made up the gorge, looking out at the plains ahead. Yet all he could see was mist. Still, in his mind's eye, he pictured the herd, hoping against hope that they took him up on his advice.

He hoped even more that none of the sabre's - bar the cub - knew what he had done.

"Good day for an ambush," Charlie remarked, seated calmly on a rock beside him. "With weather like this, we might as well not bother hiding."

Terry chuckled, reaching into his pocket, suddenly desperate to have his fill of nicotine.

"Might as well," He muffled, lighting the cigarette in the process. "Ain't gonna do us much good anyway."

"Boss!" One of the sabres called out, head popping up amongst the outcroppings. "The scouts report movement. They're coming."

He threw away the cigarette, slinging his rifle off of his shoulder.

"Order the troops to take their positions," He stated. "An' get ready to engage."

"Yes, boss!"

Both he and Charlie watched the sabre scurry away, waiting for him to be comfortably out of hearing.

"You realise that your decision might mean some of these sabres get killed?" Charlie stated.

Terry shot him a rueful smile,

"Do you realise that _our _decision might mean Soto kills _us?_" He replied.

Charlie shook his head, unable to keep a dumbfounded smile off of his face.

"This is a god awful mess we're in, sir." He said.

Terry's heart sank, his mind turning to thoughts of Sam, of Nigel, of what risks he had just put them into without their even knowing. It was only then, as he crouched down, scanning the gorge through his scope, did it truly sink in how he had just played God with all of their lives.

_They were in danger anyway, _he reasoned. _Besides, Sam would probably approve._

"Yeah," He replied mutedly. "Ain't we just."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

With every faltering step towards the gorge, Manny could feel panic rising up farther and farther within him. Save the sheer rock faces to the left and right of him - and Ellie by his side - he could see nothing but the mist.

"This isn't a good idea," He muttered into the radio. "They'll never buy it."

_"We can barely see the ends of our noses," _Frank replied. _"They won't notice."_

"Which part won't they notice? The fact you're sitting on my back for the first time this trip? Or the fact you're suddenly made of straw?" Manny retorted.

"_You suggested it, Manny."_ Diego's voice replied.

"Well I'm _un_suggesting it!" He snapped.

_"O' shut it_!" Buck retorted. "_We 'ave a fight to win! 'ow bout we focus on that? I 'aven't come all this way just to die 'ere, ya know! Diego and me are in place, by the way._"

_"So are me and Peaches," _Ben's voice chimed in. _"Safe and sound in the cave by the entrance."_

_"Claire here, in position on the cliffs."_

_"All right then," _Frank cut in. "_We know how this is going to pan out, and every tactic they are going to use. We stick to the plan, and try not to kill anyone; last thing we need is dead bodies lying around. Oh, and Manny, remember that we're counting on you to give the signal."_

He let out a grunt. Ahead of him, the gorge's many rock outcroppings slowly came into view. Even though he knew where the sabres - and the humans - were, he could't help but scan the rocks in panic.

"Yeah, yeah, signal, got it," Manny spluttered. "Now quieten down; we're close enough that they can hear us."

He took a deep breath, then another, and another, feeling his panic subside with every breath.

"All right," He murmured, glancing nervously at Ellie. "Let's do this."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Terry smiled as the mammoths came into view, pleased that it appeared that only the mammoths, Frank and Claire decided to come up the centre. He shot a smirk at Charlie, who returned the same.

"They listened," He murmured.

_Wait._

He peered through his scope at Frank, growing more and more confused by how-

"Ah, Charlie?" He murmured.

"Yes?"

"Take a look at Frank and Claire for me, will ya?"

In the corner of his eye, he could see Charlie's expression shift from confusion, to surprise, to an even deeper confusion,

"Are they...are they _made of straw?_" Charlie gasped.

Terry's eyes shot to the cliffs above him, suddenly feeling the panic of a man being hunted.

"HEAD'S UP!" He roared. "IT'S A TRAP!"

Time seemed to slow down as everything suddenly happened at once; even as he was yelling, he felt himself almost drowned out by a belting trumpet noise emanating from one of the mammoths. Almost instantly, gunfire began to roar. To his left and to his right, he could see sabres go down, screaming in pain as bullets tore through their legs. The other sabres ducked behind the rocks, cowering in the face of suppressing fire. His eyes glanced up at the cliffs, jumped to his feet, and screamed.

"ALL TROOPS, ATTACK!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"They're moving forward!" Manny exclaimed, hoping the radio was on. "Diego, that's your cue!" He glanced up, staring wide eyed as a dozen sabres charged at him, eyes filled with rage.

"DIEGO HURRY UP!"

Manny braced himself for the oncoming horde. Though shots from Claire and Frank on the cliffs took down several sabres, he still counted at least _nine _angry cats charging for himself and his mate. He could see the whites of their eyes when, finally, Diego's roar resounded through the gorge. The cat leapt into the fray, blindsiding another sabre as he did so. Buck, stood on the sabre's back, jumped into the battle, knife extended before him. The last thing Manny saw before he took his own swing at them was the weasel's knife jutting out of a sabre on the floor. Swinging as hard as he could, he smashed into a sabre's chest, sending the cat skidding across the floor.

Adrenaline pumping, Manny spotted his next victim, and charged.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank, unwilling to open fire into a muddle of friend and foe, dashed as quickly as he could down the steep, jagged and narrow pathway that led to the bottom of the gorge, trying his utmost to keep one eye on the battle. Nearing the ground, he saw clearly that the sabres were no longer fighting; they were trying to flee, sprinting as fast as they could towards Terry...

Looking on, Frank cursed under his breath, picking up as fast a pace as he could on such a rickety passage.

"They're running for the cave!" Frank panted into the radio. "TERRY'S REACHED THE CAVE!"

_How did we not notice him? _he thought in a panic. Throwing caution to the wind, he sprinted down the pathway, desperate to save Peaches and his son.

_Again._

_-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-_

As soon as Terry entered the cave, he knew something wasn't right; echoed whispers bounced off of the walls, their sounds still audible over the noise of war. He drew his pistol, scanning his surroundings carefully. Behind him, he heard the sounds of screaming sabres, informing him of what he already knew; the battle was over before it had even begun. A small part of him winced inside, realising that the pain and anguish he heard outside was his doing.

He snaked his way through the darkened tunnel, eyes slowly adjusting to the low light, until he found himself at a dead end. He looked around the space, wondering whether he had merely imagined what he had heard, until a muffled squeak resonated from the corner, He spun round, and prepared to fire.

_Oh crap, _he panicked.

He barely had time to raise the pistol, praying the bullet he had just fired would miss Ben and Peaches. The two children cowered in the corner as the ceiling above them seemingly exploded, showering them in debris.

"Oh sh-" He gasped. "Ben, I am so sorry. I thought you were- crap, I didn't mean to do that, I am so-"

He froze, as he heard the faint but unmistakable sound of a gun being loaded beside him. Before he even had time to turn, the side of his head erupted in pain as the steel of a pistol grip met his soft, squishy temple. He crashed to the ground, the other side of his head hitting the rock floor almost as hard. Amongst the cacophony of pain, he felt the gun in his hand get kicked away. Slowly, the pain began to subside, returning him the use of his senses. He looked up, blinking in the dark, hoping his eyes would focus faster. The blur above him slowly morphed into the shape of a man, gun pointing squarely between his eyes. He licked his lips, feeling the blood dribbling down his face.

"How. Dare. You," The man hissed. "You give up your plans, and _still _try and kill Ben. _Again_ ."

_Damn, _he thought sluggishly.

"Didn't meant to...accident..." He mumbled. "Oh, and hey Frank."

-**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

**End of Chapter 14**

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

**What did you think? Let me know by clicking the shiny button below :P**

**Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Till 15,**

**T**


	15. Latent Image

The silence in the cave was near thunderous, the tension almost palpable as Frank and Terry stared at one another. Standing there, Frank felt the recurring desire to just pull the trigger, ridding himself of the man who had left his wife and son to die.

Yet he couldn't. No matter how much he hated to admit it, the bleeding man on the floor had just _saved _them...

_Questions, _he thought. _Too. Many. Questions._

He snapped round, quickly studying the terrified expressions of Peaches and Ben.

"Are you two all right?" He asked.

"We're fine, dad," Ben stammered.

Frank let out a sigh of relief, gesturing for them to leave.

"Go on, get out of here," He said quietly. "I think the battle's well and truly over by now."

He watched both children leave before fixing a murderous gaze on Terry.

"So riddle me this, _Terrence_," He feigned amiableness, noting with pleasure the distaste in Terry's eyes at the use of his full name. "You stab your pack in the back by helping us, in so doing you _also_ gave Soto the two fingered salute...and then - and this is my _favourite _part of all - you then proceed to try and shoot Ben and Peaches, thus opening up my son to the chance of death. _Again," _He let the silence simmer for a moment. "Care to explain?"

"I didn't mean to, didn't mean," Terry slurred, his eyes growing briefly distant.

_How hard did I hit him? _Frank wondered. If he were being honest, he didn't care.

"Goddammit Frank, I di'n't mean to," Terry continued. "It was a mistake, got shocked...mistake. Wouldn't hurt Ben-"

"You left him to die," Frank spat. "So don't dare use that-"

"IT WAS THEM OR SAM, FRANK!" Terry screamed. The dazed, confused man who lay before him had vanished, submerged behind the fierce eyes that now stared his way. Something about the tone, the passion, the _pain_ he heard in those words sent a flicker of doubt surging through his mind; for the entire conversation, he had assumed he _had _meant to hurt Ben, hurt Peaches...

_What if I'm wrong?_

"It was them or Sam," Terry mumbled. "And you goddam know that. Hell, do you even realise what's even goin' on? Can ya even tell from all that way up on yer goddam moral high-horse you seem to think yer on?"

Frank lowered the gun slightly,

"What do you mean?" He said, his confusion lacing every word he uttered.

"I had a choice, Frank," Terry said. "Last night; I had to choose whether to follow orders or put the lives of Sam, Nigel, Charlie an' me in danger. An' ya know what I chose to do? I chose to _disobey_ those orders. We're now runnin' a high chance of gettin' killed over this, boss, and _this _is how you thank me?"

The gun fell slack beside him; it no longer felt necessary. He stared at Terry, trying to divine whether what he had said was truth or not. He wanted it to be a lie, clutched desperately from his blurred mind. He saw desperation in his eyes, but not of fear of being found out.

He saw the look of a man who had just risked all he held dear. His heart thundered in his chest as he slowly realised that Terry - as far as his bashed, bruised brain was concerned - believed he was telling the truth.

"You just put Sam's life in danger," He mustered, tongue feeling suddenly heavy. "To save us?"

"YES!" Terry screamed.

Frank took several deep breaths, unsure what to think anymore. He stared at Terry with new eyes, suddenly concerned at just how _hard _he had hit him.

"Can you walk?" He asked. Terry grunted,

"Can barely _talk_, boss," He replied mutedly.

"Now there's a small favour," Frank remarked as he reached for his radio.

"Diego, it's Frank. I'm in the cave. Get in here, I need your help."

_"What, why? What's going on in there?" _Diego replied.

"I have captured Terry," He replied. "But I may or may not have concussed him in the process. He can't walk."

_"Smooth Frank, real smooth," _The sabre shot back. "_On my way."_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The gorge had grown eerily quiet in the aftermath of the fight. Manny looked on, keeping a keen on on the few sabres who had the good fortune to surrender before getting mauled. Sullen and disheartened though the sabres seemed, he could sense nothing but relief flowing from them. Glancing farther afield, he understood why.

Almost a dozen sabres lay scattered across the gorge, bloodied and cleaved, all of them being briefly checked over by Buck. Happy though he was that his herd emerged unscathed, Manny was in no mood to celebrate. He studied the weasel as he drew closer, eyes full of questions.

"Most of them are alive." Buck replied.

He winced.

"How many are dead." He replied flatly.

"Two of 'em," The weasel stated. "They 'ave got those bullet 'ole things in them, both in the head."

He glanced beside him, noting the presence of Claire and Ellie. Claire's eyes were clamped shut, as if physically hurt.

"This isn't right," He said, eyes scanning the gorge once more. "All this pain, and for what?" He let out a rueful sigh. "All this just for a crazed old sabre's revenge."

"It was them or us, mate," Buck replied quietly. "But yer right. Ain't no sense about it at all."

He shot a meaningful glance at Ellie, knowing she would understand him;

_We need to help them._

Her proud, loving smile told him she understood perfectly.

"Right then, people!" Ellie said loudly. "There's a whole lotta sabres here and a whole lot of helping to do! Let's move!"

"You know they wouldn'ta done tha same fer us, right?" Buck called out.

"_Exactly!_" Ellie replied. "Just because Soto sent them after us doesn't mean we can't help them. And, if we don't help them, how are we any better than he is?"

Buck shrugged,

"Fair enough! Then let's 'elp! I call the knife wound! I made it, so I'll fix it!"

"That's the spirit!" Ellie exclaimed, grinning all the while.

The gorge suddenly became a hive of activity. Manny once more resorted to looking on, one eye still keenly trained on the sabres.

_There's someone missing, _he realised.

Looking around, he grew more and more confused.

"Hey, Ellie!" He shouted. "Where's Claire?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Picking her way through the rock outcroppings, Claire couldn't stop thinking about the two sabres that lay dead in the gorge. She knew it was do or die; they _had _to fight. Looking back, she made sure she was out of ear shot; she was desperate for a place of solitude. Eventually, she sat herself down, leant against a rock, and wept.

She had never killed anyone before and - knowing she had played a part in the death and suffering beyond - she felt guilt rippling over her. She wept for the sabres, wept for their situation, and for herself.

"Why are you crying?"

She jolted herself out of her sorrow, quickly wiping her eyes as she scanned her surroundings.

"Who's there?" She demanded.

The figure that slunk into the open caught her by surprise. Small and scrawny, the sabre seemed no more than a child in her eyes. She stared at him, realisation dawning on her,

"It's you, isn't it?" She said. "You're the cub who visited us last night."

His eyes remained fixed on the ground. Even from her vantage point, she could see him shaking.

"Yeah, it was," He murmured. "Please, please don't hurt me."

Words failed her. She glanced back at the scenes of devastation behind her, and back at the scrawny little cub.

_You must think we're monsters, _she thought at him.

"I'm not going to hurt you," She said softly. "You've done us nothing but good; if it wasn't for you, I'd probably be dead right now."

He stopped shaking and looked up. Claire felt her heart tug within her as she saw the fear in his eyes.

"S-so, you're not going to hurt me?" He said tentatively. She stared at him pensively.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"My name?"

"You do have one, don't you?" She quizzed.

He pawed the ground, keen not to make eye contact.

"Y-yeah," He said. "It's - I'm Mark."

"Well, Mark, my name's Claire, and I give you my word we will not hurt you. Not now, not ever."

She didn't know whether her words had the intended effect; the cub's eyes remained firmly aimed for the ground. Mulling it over, she gave him a smile.

"Mark, are you hungry?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Claire! There you are! Where have you-"

Manny fell silent, staring in confusion as Claire emerged from the rocks, cub in tow. Claire, smiling and waving, seemed utterly unfazed by his reaction.

"Sorry about that! Just needed some 'me time', that's all!" She replied. "Oh, also, Manny, meet Mark, Mark, this is Manny."

Both Claire and the cub stood before him, yet no matter how hard he tried to sneak a peak at the little sabre, he kept shifting to stay behind Claire. He shot a dubious glance at her,

"And I should care what his name is, because...?" He said.

"_Because_ this just happens to be the little cub who pretty much ensured you're still alive to be your usual, witty, oh-so-slightly-bitter self," She replied breezily. "Oh, and he happens to be hungry."

He shot an even more dubious look at the cub.

"I remember the messenger being a little scrawny," He muttered, unable to hide the disbelieving smirk on his face. "But this kid's nothing but bone! Can't be him."

Claire's scowl alone forced him to reconsider his position. Now stood outside of the range of her fists, he looked at the cub again. He still thought he looked too small to be the right one.

_But do you see any other scrawny cubs standing around? _He asked himself.

A quick scan confirmed it for him; the cub before him was the _only _cub present.

"Fine, ok," He admitted. "Hey kid, pleased to meet ya."

"Hi," Mark murmured.

"So," Manny continued, fully aware of how awkward he sounded. "Ya hungry?"

"Yes, sir," Mark replied.

"Great!" Manny stated, grinning as forcefully as he could at the cub. His expression switch instantly into an exasperated frown as soon as his eyes met Claire's. "We got sabres injured left and right, and you want me to _forage?_ We'll get to food when they're-"

Claire's scowl hardened so quickly he no longer felt safe, even stood out of her reach.

"Fine! _Fine_," He grumbled. "You just wait here, kid. I'll just go find...something."

_You win this one, _he thought at Claire, shooting her a scowl on his own.

As he left to find food, he made a point of making every footstep as loud and begrudging as he could.

"Humans," He muttered under his breath. "They're intolerable."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Terry's world had changed. The floor he was certain was rock suddenly felt furry, lumpy, and began to move. The dark he had become accustomed to had suddenly become painfully bright.

It took him several moments to realise the floor - grumbling and huffing with every step about how it wasn't a people carrier - was a sabre. Peering up into his new surroundings, he finally recognised the cliffs and rock outcroppings of the gorge, framing Frank's face as the human walked beside him.

"Floor feels funny," He murmured at the human. Frank smirked, briefly looking away from him.

"That floor will maul you if you call him that again," Frank replied. "He normally goes by the name Diego."

"Funny name to call a floor," Terry remarked. Deciding holding his head up was too much effort, he flopped down. Inverted though his view on the world was, he could still see the line of wounded, writhing sabres, herd members darting throughout them, hastily patching them up. In the distance, he noted two sabres who weren't moving at all.

"Jesus, Frank," He muttered."Didja really have to trounce em so bad?"

"We did what we had to do," He replied firmly. "And, by the looks of it, we seem to be helping them now."

"Good," He grunted. "They ain't monsters, Frank. Ain't monsters..."

Frank nodded slowly, face slowly falling.

"You did this, you know," He said. "These sabres could be feasting on us rather than being treated by us if you hadn't helped us."

The floor swiftly reverted back to solid rock, eliciting a pained groan from Terry as he was brusquely dropped.

"Yeah," He admitted. "'Cept this way everyone's alive in some way. Gotta be better."

"True enough," Frank replied. "Just one question, though, Terry."

"Just the one?" He shot back, attempting a smirk. "Brain of yours finally gotten tired of all them questions you used to have?"

Frank smiled, giving him a short, abrupt chuckle.

"Just the one for now; where's Charlie?"

"Followin' orders." He stated.

Frank cocked his head, staring down at him with an odd expression.

"Following orders?" He repeated. "Doing what?"

"Maintaining his position in the rocks, and not engaging under any circumstance," Terry replied. "Basically, his orders were to not get involved."

"Huh," Frank remarked, eyes now scanning the outcroppings avidly.

Terry licked his lips, his eyelids feeling heavier with every moment. Consumed once more with blackness, he felt an awkward hand fall on his shoulder.

"Terry, I, I just wanted-" Frank's voice sounded fumbling. "Thank you."

He couldn't even formulate an answer in his mind, let alone reply aloud. He managed to nod slightly, before giving in to sleep's beckon.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Dinnertime in the gorge was an awkward affair for all involved. Unintentionally, two camps came into existence; one for the herd, the other for the injured sabres, Terry - who was still nursing his battered head - and Charlie, who seemed fairly contented to remain in silence. The difference between the quiet brooding of the sabres' camp with the zesty exuberance of the herd's own almost amused Manny. With his mate's trunk wrapped in his own, he basked in the amusements that unfolded before him as Sid - _Sid _- attempted to play games.

Yet, amongst the laughter and revelry, one man seemed conspicuous by his aloofness from either camp. He glanced up at the cliff faces above them, spying out the lone fire Frank had made for himself. Every time he did, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"I don't get it," He said. "The guy helps win a fight, and then gets all moody?"

"He's not moody," Ellie corrected him. "He looked distracted, down...ya know, if I didn't know better, I'd say the guy looked a little spooked."

"Spooked?" Manny exclaimed incredulously. "By what?"

The look she shot him alerted him immediately to what was coming, and he was having none of it. He knew she knew this, yet the words still came,

"You should go talk to him." She stated.

"Uh-uh," He said, fiercely shaking his head. "The last time you got me to talk to a guy about guy problems, the herd split in two. Not making the same mistake again."

He knew he wouldn't win; for the second time that day, a female's glare fell upon him, threatening to shred him purely from the sheer force of being looked at. He let out a long, annoyed huff. Shuffling to his feet, he opened his mouth.

"I'll go."

The word's weren't Manny's. He spun, staring at Diego, only then realising the sabre was on his feet. He studied him dubiously, racking his brain for the last time Diego had _volunteered_ to have a heart to heart talk with _anyone_.

_Pretty sure this'll be the first, _he concluded.

Ellie, however, merely smiled, appreciation oozing from her expression.

"Thanks Diego."

He sat back down, eyes flickering between the rapidly disappearing sabre, and the faint fire on the cliff above. Certain he wouldn't truly know, Manny shrugged, forced it from his mind, and returned to the evening's entertainment.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank's eyes snapped open, coughing and spluttering at the sharp intake of smoke he had just inhaled. He heaved, crouching over himself, lungs begging for oxygen. Having calmed down, he straightened out, only to find himself staring at a pile of corpses. The stench of death mingled in his nose with the scents of blood, gunpowder, and the smoke of a thousand burning buildings.

He knew exactly where he was; he was stood on Westminster bridge, his back to the houses of parliament, in the centre of a dying city. A quick, cursory glance around him confirmed it for him; St Stephen's tower - often just called 'Big Ben' - had burst into flame, its iconic clock faces and spire shattered on the ground, just a dozen yards behind another set of corpses - these distinctly dressed as soldiers. Spinning around, he grimly took in the vista, noting the blackening sky as London burnt. He let out a sigh; he stood in the centre of London, at the height of the Troubles, at the scene of his greatest failure.

"You have sinned, and your sin shall find you out."

He spun round, eyes fixing in horror on the figure of a little girl, mangled body rising out of the corpses on the bridge.

"Wh-what the?" He stammered in panic. He screamed as he realised the girl, blood stained dress flowing in the wind, grabbed onto his arm. Even through his jacket, he felt how _cold _she was. She grinned maliciously at him,

"And the wages of sin, is death."

He blinked, suddenly seeing a myriad of people in the face of the little girl; in the space of a moment, he saw his mother, father, Sam, Claire, Ben...

He screamed again at the figure of the little girl, still grinning maliciously, only now sporting a dead, decayed version of his own face.

"What's the matter, Frank?" The girl's voice said, emanating from his visage. "Aren't you proud of your handiwork? These people are dead because of you, after all. This is what you were born to do."

_Frank?..._

The girl morphed before him, black hood and cape seemingly _growing _out of her. He peered under the hood, seeing his face still grinning back at him.

"No matter what you tell yourself, you will always be a killer." The hooded monstrosity stated, cackling.

_Frank!..._

He stared, wide eyed into the face of death itself, heart thundering within him as he saw the reflection of himself in his cold, deadened eyes.

"I'm not!" He shrieked. "I'm not a killer!"

"Yes you are," death retorted. "And you will kill them all as well," His face rapidly morphed into the herd. "In the end, you're nothing more than a killer."

He screamed, punching and kicking at the thing's vicelike grip.

_FRANK!_

He couldn't get away; the more he struggled, the tighter it's grip got. The more he screamed, the louder its' cackling grew. He was trapped, unable to flee, unable to do anything, but scream.

Frank screamed.

_FRANK!_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-_

"FRANK!" Diego yelled, shaking Frank wildly. The man writhed on the floor, screaming at the top of his lungs. "FRANK!"

"NO!" Frank screamed, almost jumping upright out of fear.

Panting and sweating, the human glanced around in confusion. Finally, his eyes met Diego's; relief crept over his face.

"Just a dream," He murmured. "Just a dream."

The sabre studied him keenly as he assumed a relaxed, calm, _quieter _position, eyes cast across the gorge. The sabre didn't believe the exterior for one moment; he still saw the fear and terror in the human's eyes. Something that lurked in those eyes struck Diego as familiar, yet he couldn't place it.

"What's up, Frank?" He said.

"I'm fin-"

"Not buying it, buddy," Diego cut him off. "What's up."

Frank motioned to protest, thought better of it, and deflated.

"Do you really want to know?" He murmured, voice barely above a whisper.

Diego, taking this to mean the conversation would actually happen, planted himself beside the human, joining him in staring out at the vista before them. He noted how eerily beautiful the moonlight made the rock outcroppings.

_Not here for the scenery, _he reminded himself.

"Well, yeah, actually," Diego replied. "Wouldn't have asked if I didn't."

Frank smirked,

"True enough," He said distantly.

"So what's up?" Diego posited, eyes now locked on Frank. "Ever since the fight this afternoon you've been acting up. Everyone's noticed-"

He let out a grunt,

"Ah," He said. "So Claire put you up to this?"

"Actually, I _volunteered_ to save you from having Manny try and be emotional with you," The sabre said, smirking slightly. "Believe me, I suffered that once before; that mammoth must have a hormonal imbalance or something, I tell ya..." His smirk flattened into a frown. "We're all worried about you, you know."

"Why should you care?" Frank murmured faintly. "I'm an outsider, remember? Nothing but a refugee human in a world not his own..."

Diego winced inside; though Frank had said it, he could hear Manny behind those words.

"Herds look out for each other and, far as _I'm_ concerned, that now includes you."

The sought after smile crept onto Frank's face.

"So," Diego continued. "What's up?"

The fire crackled gently, mingling gently with the excited noise and chatter from the herd's camp below. The sabre sat there, waiting in silence, for Frank to speak.

"I did some thinking," Frank said slowly. "This afternoon, about what happened here...and it hit me; ever since I got here, my life has been defined, once again, by death."

"That's not true." Diego retorted. Frank shot a glance at him, too weary to hold any emotion.

"Tell that to the sabres buried in the gorge below," He remarked. "Or maybe the sabres back by your cave."

Diego remained silent. Frank grunted,

"See? Now that _you _are thinking about it, you can't argue against it, because you know it's true..." He let out a long sigh. "I reckon I've killed about nearly ten sabres...ten _people..._since I've gotten here."

"In self defence," Diego rebutted. "You never killed them in cold blood; they tried to kill you, so you had to kill them. It was always done to defend your family, the herd, or both."

"But that's the thing; I _did _kill them and, till today, I thought nothing of that fact," The human seemed to deflate even further. "Ever since we got here a few weeks back, I've slowly been becoming _Captain_ Howard again...and the scientist and family man I had become to be slowly disappearing beneath him..."

The familiar title took Diego by surprise. He studied the human pensively,

"Captain?" He repeated, mulling it over. "That sounds almost like a military rank..."

Frank stared, utterly nonplussed.

"How on earth do you know what a military is?" He quizzed. "I thought that was a human-only thing."

"Pfft, please," Diego replied derisively. "Humans? Seriously? The humans in this era can't even talk, let alone organise! Military stuff is very much the preserve of sabres, and lots of the older packs have ranks and titles like that Captain rank of yours."

Looking into Frank's eyes, realisation suddenly hit him; the look he couldn't place felt familiar because he remembered it from all the times he had looked into his reflection in the past. Frank looked at him oddly.

"Any reason for the satisfied look on your face?" He quizzed.

"I know what haunts you," Diego replied earnestly. "When you were in a military pack all those years ago, you saw things, did things, ordered things that were horrifying and disgusting and evil."

The shocked and surprised glance know he had hit the right notes.

"And you can't get past that," He continued. "You've tried to run from it, but it keeps coming back to what you've done before; you see everything you've done in your reflection, just as you dream it all over again at night."

"H-how," Frank stammered. "How could you possibly know that?"

"I know, because I was like that for a long while; for years after joining the herd, I was like that...I'd seen it hundreds of times before," He looked deeply into Frank eyes, seeing the silent tear that threatened to streak down his face.

"It's the look of someone who has seen too much, and feel like they've done too much to go back, wondering whether they're defined by what they were, not by what they _are, _and whether they can really ever be anything different."

A tear trailed silently down Frank's face, eyes shining brightly.

"Can they?" He asked earnestly.

Briefly taken aback, Diego paused, pretending to gaze at the stars as he collected his thoughts on the question. He knew the answer to the question, as much as he knew that _just _the answer wouldn't help the man before him. In one, brief flash of thought, he realised the strange situation he had found himself; not even _Manny _knew what he was preparing to tell Frank - still a relative newcomer, having known him for less than a month - his tale.

"When I was part of Soto's pack, over a decade ago," He began. "I guess you could say I wasn't too different from Soto; I might not have liked his way of doing things, but they worked, so I stuck with him. Then I met Manny and Sid. A few years later, Ellie and the possums came around. I thought that everything had changed; that I had become a new sabre, able to walk away from Soto...truth was, I was simply running."

The pain that the memories dredged up caught the sabre by surprise. Even then, after so many years, he still felt the guilt of all the things he had done. Yet the wide, eager eyes faced before him knew he had to keep talking,

"It was about two years ago now," He continued. "Ellie was pregnant and Peaches was on the way, but I wasn't happy; I thought I had gone soft, lost my edge. And I thought it was because I was part of a herd, of a family, so I left...except Sid managed to find himself kidnapped by a _dinosaur _of all things. Wasn't long before I was dodging death at Manny and Ellie's sides again," He levelled a firm, determined stare at the human. "I had to be a _sabre _to defend my family then; everything I had learnt under Soto became useful again for something worthwhile. That's when I realised."

Frank sat up,

"Realised what?" He pressed.

The sabre smiled slightly.

"That the old me and the new one can live together; sometimes, I have to be the old me, in order to protect the family the new me loves."

The human sat back, eyes staring blankly at the sky. After a while, he smirked, life returning to his features,

"'_To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.'_"

Snapping out of his reverie, the human laughed at his blank expression.

"It's something my grandmother used to quote whenever I had a bad day," He explained. "She always told me that things happen for a reason...that, someday, those things - no matter how miserable they seemed at the time - could be very useful," His eyes glassed over, smile etched onto his face. "She used to make me recite it, memorise it...a few parts of it seem apt, _'For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to kill, and a time to heal...a time for war, and a time for peace.'_"

Diego smiled.

_Couldn't have put it better myself,_ he thought at the human.

"Exactly," He said aloud.

Frank chuckled, shaking his head as if rueing his own stupidity.

"Just one thing, Diego," He said, still smiling. "How do you keep the balance? Between the new and the old, that is."

He nodded slowly,

"With Peaches, I'm Uncle Diego, with the herd, just Diego, with people who are friendly to us, I'm generally cautious..." He grinned. "And with anyone who's out to make a meal out of us? Well, let's just say I'm not a pushover."

Both of them let out a deep, heartfelt, throaty laugh. Diego had heard Frank laugh many times already, but he had never heard such a vividly _alive _noise come from the human ever. Wiping away the tears, Frank glanced briefly at the floor of the gorge below, before pausing.

"Um...Diego?" He said tentatively. "Is Sid having a fit?"

The sabre took one casual glance down at the gorge and shrugged.

"Nope; that will be Sid trying to play some games." He remarked.

Frank looked up incredulously.

"Why are we missing such classic comedic gold?" He said, smirking.

The sabre chuckled,

"Why indeed."

Though no words were spoken, both men stood up, making their way cautiously to the narrow passage that led to the floor. For a long while silent, Diego assumed Frank would remain so, proceeding to move a little quicker along the pathway.

"Diego?"

He slowed a little.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you, Diego," Frank said quietly.

The sabre smiled, drawing a deep, satisfied breath of evening air.

"Don't mention it."


	16. Choice

Manny greeted Frank and Diego - laughing and joking as they rejoined the herd - with inquisitive glances.

"So, what was wrong with him?" He murmured at the sabre. Diego shrugged, shooting him an impenetrably knowing smirk.

"Just two old soldiers swapping stories," He replied. "And that's all you're gonna find out."

He huffed, looking on at Frank - arms wrapped around Claire - with confusion.

_Are you ok? _He read on Claire's lips. The human nodded,

_I'm fine...it's just..._

_The Troubles? _Claire jutted in. Manny knew he was intruding, but what was he to do in the face of Diego's silence?

_Yeah, _Frank replied. _Just can't seem to get away from th-_

"Manny, what are you _doing?_"

Only then did he realise how far forward his neck had been craned, how determined he looked...

How unimpressed Diego and Ellie appeared; he knew they recognised what he was doing, just from their eyes. He shrank back, giving out an awkward cough, pretending he had just finished stretching.

"There," He groaned. "That oughta do it! Neck was killing me."

"Sure thing," Diego replied, deadpan. He saw the smile in the sabre's eyes. "Pervert."

Manny had a retort ready to throw back at the sabre, but it flew out of his mind when a ball struck him on the face. Jerking upwards, he found himself faced with Ben, his posture a study in awkward apology.

"Do you mind?" He said.

"Sorry Manny!" Ben said sheepishly. "Blame Sid; he hit it."

"What are you playing anyway?" Frank said, clasping his son's shoulders in his arms.

Ben shrugged. Manny settled a perplexed stare on him,

"You've been playing for hours...and you don't know what you're playing?"

"Depends on whether or not annoying Sid is considered a game." Ben replied.

Manny sat up, suddenly approving of the child before him.

"Whatever you're playing," He said quickly. "I'm in; it sounds like my new favourite game."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Terry looked on at the other camp, envying their happiness. Glancing around his camp, he knew the opposite was true of him and his dispirited group of sabres. All around him, he heard sabres whispering, expressing how confused they were that they were still alive, how fearful they were of Soto's reaction, how humiliating the whole situation was...

"'Less you have somethin' decent to say, shut yer traps!" He snapped, silencing the sabres immediately. "You're alive, bin treated and fed, and all you can do is _whine_?"

The absence of conspiracy theories didn't last, much to his chagrin.

"I think they're keeping us alive so that they can eat us," An unseen sabre murmured. "Only reason we're still alive."

"That, or maybe they're _not _monsters," Charlie retorted. "Terry's right; unless you have something worth saying, silence is golden."

"Better yet, get some sleep; I'm gettin' tired of yer yappin', and y'all need your strength tomorrow. And don't _dare _presume it's a suggestion," He made a rough gesture with his hand, silencing the bout of complaints he sensed were coming.

_Children, _he thought derisively.

"It's an order. So shut it, and shut eyes, _now_."

He waited for almost an hour in near silence, knowing full well that Charlie and the cub were still awake; sabres though the bulk were, they seemed almost as keen on sleeping as on fighting. The sound of snoring brought a smile to his face, one he promptly shared with Charlie.

"Finally," He grumbled. "Jeez, for supposed tough guys, these idiots are wimps."

"You can say that again," Charlie remarked. "So...what are we going to do?"

Terry shot him a sideways glance.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean that we have just flown in the face of the orders of someone who has Sam and Nigel hostage," Charlie replied. "So, again, what are we going to do."

_Oh, that._

Terry slumped against the rock, eyes distracted by the overexcited games he saw taking place just fifty yards away in the other camp. Even without looking, he knew both cub and man were staring at him, waiting for him to answer.

"Kiddo," He murmured. "There's a reason I wanted you to go see the herd last night, and it wasn't cos yer scrawny or nothin',"

He looked over at the cub, staring into the expectant eyes of his. He let out a sigh, rubbing his face.

"You're gonna defect now, kiddo," He said. "You're gonna go with them."

"What?" Mark exclaimed. "Why?"

"'Cos if you don't, then Soto's gonna kill you - and me - if you come back with us."

"_What?_" Charlie spluttered.

"Yeah," Terry replied bitterly. "Tell me about it...well, there's no way of slicing this nicely, kid, so I'll go on an' say it; Soto sent you out here cos he wanted you to die. If the herd didn't kill ya somehow, he told me that you had to wind up dead; apparently you've got traitor blood in you. If you defect now, you don't have to die and I can lie to Soto's face about it. So go, now, when none of these idiots are awake to spill the beans."

Mark looked on, stunned into stillness. Minutes seemed to pass before the cub picked himself up and travelled to the other camp. In the corner of his eye, he could see Charlie staring at him, smiling at him.

"You didn't have to do that, you know." Charlie said.

"Yes I did," Terry replied quietly. He watched the cub, already heavily involved in a game. "Cos not doing so would cost my soul."

_Not worth your soul, _Sam's voice echoed through his mind, _Soto's dirty work isn't worth your soul._

Charlie nodded, joining him in watching the game unfold.

"So, what are we going to do?" He said, again. "About Soto?"

Terry looked on, sensing one certainty rising out of everything he had gone through.

"I," He muttered. "I don't know."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The morning seemed to come too quickly, as far as Frank was concerned. Glancing up at the sky, he noted they were up before the sun had even risen.

"Are you sure about this?" Manny said, dragging his attention back.

"We're just going to talk to them," He fumbled, attempting a smile. He felt so tired he was pretty sure it came out as a frown. "They won't attack us."

The mammoth glanced nervously between him and Diego, eventually nodding.

"All right," He said. "Just be careful, ok? And don't be long!"

He nodded wearily, eyes briefly glancing at the mass of sleeping people, possums, weasel and sabre on the mammoths' backs, envying them.

"Will be," He mustered. "Come on Diego, let's go say hello."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Terry looked on, keenly watching Frank and the sabre draw closer. In the corners of his eyes, Charlie stood at ease, and a sabre whose name he didn't know - and didn't much care to know - waited anxiously.

"Morning Terry," Frank called out, raising his hand in greeting. "How did you sleep?"

"Better than you did, by the looks of it," Terry replied, smirking. "Y'all set to get back to runnin'?"

"Of course," Frank stated, now face to face with him. "From the little experience I have of Soto, I strongly suspect he will send someone else after us."

He nodded.

"Thanks fer taking care of our wounded boss," He said. "It's appreciated."

"No problem," Diego replied.

Silence hung between them for several moments. He took the time to scan the sabre before him, and to glance back at the mammoths, noting the little sabre fast asleep on the female's back. He mentally kicked himself for not seeing it before.

"Yer Diego, aren't ya?" He said.

It wasn't a question, and the sabre knew it. He nodded slightly.

"Take care of Mark," He said. "...For me, of course...ah...he's a good kid."

The sabre cast a bemused glance at him, but nodded all the same.

"I will." Diego replied.

"Wait, what?" The sabre beside him piped up. "The weakling's going with them?...wait...what's happening to us then?"

"We're letting you go." Frank addressed the sabre directly.

The sabre's look of confusion would have struck Terry as comical if it wasn't so utterly idiotic.

"What, no torture?" He exclaimed, "No mutilation? Nothing?"

"You almost sound disappointed," Diego snarled. "I could make a special exception for you if you like…"

"No, no!" The sabre retorted fearfully. "I'm just confused, that's all!"

"The one condition to your release is, of course, that you head back south, back to Soto," Frank continued. "And let that sabre know that, if he's stupid enough to send anyone else after us, we will show them no mercy."

"Why are you letting us go so easily?" The sabre asked cautiously.

"As a good will gesture," Frank said, smiling faintly at Terry. "In the hopes you may repay us in kind someday."

Terry smiled back slightly,

"You know Soto's not going to stop hunting you." Terry stated.

"I know." Frank replied. "But I'm fairly hopeful that _you_ will stop hunting us; Soto we can deal with."

"We've done it once before already." Diego added.

Frank smiled, extending his hand,

"Send my regards to Nigel, and my love to Sam. Tell her that myself, Claire and Ben are alive and well, and doing fine."

Terry stared at the hand for a moment before briskly taking it. To his surprise, Frank pulled him into a hug.

"When you get them away from Soto, we'll be waiting." He whispered into his ear. Almost as soon as the hug began, it was over.

Frank stood awkwardly, legs clearly twitching to move. In the background, Terry could see the mammoths get more and more agitated.

"Right, well, ah," Frank fumbled. "Um, good talk! You, ah, take care and all that. Ah...bye."

Terry laughed, enjoying his brother in law's discomfort at the notion he had just _willingly _hugged him.

"See ya, boss," He said, giving his a brief salute. "I'll see ya around."

Walking away from them, he shot a knowing smile at Charlie,

"I got a plan." He murmured back.

Charlie returned the smile.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Do you think we went to lightly on them?" Diego murmured, sure they had walk far enough out of earshot before speaking. Frank grinned,

"Maybe on that sabre," He remarked. "I don't think I've seen someone so keenly ask to be tortured."

"How did it go?" Manny called out to them.

"Good as it could have," Frank replied.

"Assuming Soto is still in the valley, then we have two weeks before having to worry about anyone hunting us." Diego added.

"Great! Good!" Manny said hurriedly. "Now let's get going."

"What's the rush?" Frank asked.

"Do you hear that?" Manny replied, gesturing around him.

Frank listened for a moment,

"There's nothing to hear."

"_Exactly,_" Manny stated. "What you are hearing is the wonderful sound of Sid _not _singing. And I would like to get to wherever we're going with as much of this wonderful sound as possible. Which means I want to go now."

Picking their way through the gorge, Frank took one last chance to look back at Terry, Charlie and their pack of sabres as they travelled in the opposite direction. Looking on, he smiled slightly,

"Ball's in your court now, Terry," He murmured. "Bring them home."

-**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

**End of Chapter 16**

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

**Hello everone! Sorry for keeping quiet; kinda consider chapters 14-16 as more or less the same chapter, so decided to give ANs at the beginning and end :). In a sense, this is very much the end of Act 1, as the story does take a turn for the larger, more expansive and darker from here on in! So I hope you enjoyed the last 16 chapters! If you have, yet somehow haven't made your aqcuaintance with the shiny little button below, here's your chance; let me know what you think of this story so far! Whilst I can't really do much to this story, per se, i can definitely take it on board for the future ones!**

**Have a great week!**

**Till 17,**

**Adieu**


	17. All's Quiet on the Western Front

**Hello everyone!**

"Trev, why have you rewritten a chapter out of sequence?" I hear you, o metaphorical reader, ask. The truth is because the original version of this chapter bugged me so much I felt compelled to erase it from the story with a shiny, rewritten edition of it. This one pleases me more, thus it is here :P

As always, please review as well as read! Anything that's not a flametastic review is welcome, but I ask only this; constructive criticism is called constructive because it is positive. If you want to help me, show me where I am failing in a positive manner, rather than telling me how you would write it or how awful I am at it!

Anyways, without further ado…

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Are we there yet?"

Sid's voice, high pitched and bored, scraped on Manny's patience. He didn't approve of the first time the sloth had asked the question, much less his insistence of repeating it endlessly.

"For. The hundredth time. NO!" He growled.

Sid, less seen than felt by Manny as the weight on his back, groaned.

"Aw come on!" He whined. "I thought you said this place was near!"

"It _is_ near," Diego butted in. "Less than two miles away now."

"But I'm exhausted!" Sid protested.

Manny nearly choked on hearing the words; Sid's audacity had always amazed him in a horrifying way - his claim to have made the herd was, for Manny, his most amusing - but _that_ statement had taken it too far. He met Diego's eyes, allowing them to both share in a moment of incredulity.

"How exactly, Sid?" Diego shot back, giving him an unmistakably dubious look. "You've been on Manny's back the whole time."

The silence emanating from his back brought a smile to Manny's face. He imagined the sloth with crossed arms and a sulky expression.

That thought brought an even wider smile to his face.

"I'll have you know, I'm still tired from our game of piggy in the middle!"

Only the chuckle erupting beside him reminded the mammoth of Frank's presence beside him.

"That was three days ago, Sid," Frank countered.

Yet more silence from his back was greeting by Manny with relish. He glanced over at Diego and mouthed silently; _Next he'll blame you carnivores._

"Well so-rry!" Sid finally exclaimed. "Sorry that we sloths are not as energetic as you carnivores!"

Manny rolled his eyes, sharing a private grin between himself and the sabre. Diego glanced up briefly at the sloth, and back at Manny.

_Lets put that to the test,_ the sabre mouthed silently.

The test was too enticing for the mammoth to refuse. Even with a gleeful grin on his face, he affected to see something far off.

"Hey look, Sid!" He said, his sarcastic tone only faintly evident. "Do I see some female sloths?"

With a speed worthy of predators, Sid had scrambled down his face, jumped off of his tusks, and scanned the horizon eagerly before he could even finish the sentence.

"Where?" Sid asked keenly.

"Still tired, Sid?" Ellie said. In the corner of his eye, Manny could see his mate's knowing smile.

The sloth froze mid-waddle, as if the realisation of what had happened overrode all other functions. He turned slowly, his eyes glaring accusingly at the herd.

Manny found the distinctly unamused look on Sid's face amusing in the extreme; if he were honest, he could probably have contented himself by annoying Sid all day...maybe all week.

"Oh ha. Ha," Sid grumbled. "You guys think your so funny!"

"Well, it's hard _not_ to be when we have so much joke material on hand." Diego replied, smirking.

Manny didn't know why - the joke wasn't _that _funny - but they all broke into laughter. Even Sid gave up his protestations of being hurt, joining in with gusto. Whilst he didn't know why they were laughing, he appreciated it all the same; it felt good to laugh, especially after all they had been through.

Porcupine Gorge still haunted their conversations and - specifically, for Manny - his dreams. He shook the thoughts aside, looking keenly up at the horizon.

"All right," He said. "Let's get going; we've still got two miles before we can rest."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

What seemed to Frank to be a merely glint on the horizon slowly began to grow as they drew nearer. With every step, the soaring glacial cliffs came into view, towering over them as it cast them in its shadow. He cast a glance over at Claire, still seated atop Ellie, seeing the same awed expression etched onto her face.

Even without being told it, he knew they had made it.

_The Meltdown Valley, _he thought to himself as he tried to take in all he saw, admiring the evanescent quality the sunlight had given the cliffs.

He was knocked - physically - out of his reverie as his son burst passed him, engaging in an energetic game of tag with the opossums and Mark. He couldn't help but smile, so infectious was the excitement growing around him.

"You're gonna love this place, Claire!" Ellie chirped behind him. "It's got some really beautiful locations, and the people are so friendly!"

"Although, after the flood, it has become a little bit of a tourist trap," Sid added. "Seems folks wanna migrate to somewhere that's famous for being flooded."

Claire chuckled loudly,

"So long as it hasn't got people trying to kill us, tourist traps are fine by me!"

Frank fazed out of the conversation, his attention fully focussed on the soaring cliffs above him. For the first time in more years than he could care to remember, he felt excited; actually, fully excited.

When they finally caught up with the children, his excitement turned to surprise as he finally tore his gaze from the cliffs to the plain at the entrance to the valley. On each side of the valley's entrance he could see conspicuously well arrange slabs of rock, all of them laid out with beads, long rotted food, various other assortments...

_Tourism? _he thought in surprise. Curiosity shut out the rest of the world for Frank as he studied what he found, increasingly amazed at what he saw. Having reached the slab that held nothing but leaves, he picked one up and looked at it.

He could barely conceal his gasp of delight as he saw the etched signs and markings on it.

_This...is a map! _He exclaimed mentally. _A MAP!_

He couldn't help but chuckle; even weeks on, and hundreds of miles away from the valley he had arrived in, the word '_impossible'_ kept insistently coming to mind.

"What are you finding so funny?"

He turned to see Claire smiling at him. He smirked, opting against making any gestures lest he damage the map in his hands.

"I just," He mustered. "Just didn't expect to find _tourism _here." He replied.

She grinned,

"We didn't expect subterranean tropical climates or talking animals either."

He returned her grin,

"Point taken."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"We made it!" Ellie exclaimed joyously. "Welcome to the Meltdown Valley, everyone!"

Even as Ellie was speaking, Buck felt increasingly perturbed. He looked around him, realising that something was missing...something that had been missing for almost a day.

_We should never 'ave come 'ere, _his mind stated.

He couldn't help but agree with his brain; something was wrong. _Very _wrong.

"I thought you said this was a tourist trap." He remarked warily.

"That's because it is!" Sid declared.

Alarm bells started ringing wildly in Buck's mind.

"If that's so," He murmured. "Then where the 'ell is everybody?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Dread seeped into Manny as he scanned his surroundings. He couldn't believe he could miss such an obvious sign, but knew that he had; he had been so focussed on getting to the Meltdown Valley that he had forgone his custom of observing everything else.

Now he stood, searching keenly for what he should have looked for hours ago, but no matter where he looked, he couldn't see a single living thing bar the herd.

Everyone in their group had gone silent, as if suddenly afraid to disturb the stillness. He craned his neck upwards, gazing at the sky, only for his heart to start pounding in his ears.

No birds, no ground life. Nothing.

To Manny, the bright and spacious surroundings beside the cliffs suddenly felt claustrophobic and menacing in equal measure.

_Where is everybody?_ He asked himself, too afraid to even utter a sound.

"But...but...that's impossible!" Ellie exclaimed, breaking the silence. "This is the busiest place this side of the Icewater Falls!"

"Not anymore it seems." Buck commented.

Manny swallowed hard, suppressing the fear that threatened to bubble to the surface; he needed to be strong, if not for himself, then for his herd. He glanced over at Diego with an expression that brooked no discussion,

"Diego, can you see if you can pick up any fresh scents?" He stated. "We need to find out if anyone is nearby," He lifted his trunk, on which his radio was strapped, relieved that Diego's eyes glinted understanding. "Let us know what you find."

The sabre duly nodded, though Manny could see an unfamiliar ambivalence in his friend's motions.

"I'll see what I can do."

With a swiftness Manny knew was borne of practice, Diego sprinted out of sight in mere seconds. Satisfied, he turned to the rest of the herd.

"Peaches, Ben, Mark, stay close to me," He said calmly. He glanced over at Buck and Frank. "Guys, have a look around and see if you can spot anyone. Ellie's right; this is impossible."

Frank and Buck nodded at one another and ran into the passage itself. Manny let out a sigh, eyeing the once-familiar cliffs above him warily, sensing rather than seeing potential unseen dangers in its clefts.

"What happened here?" He asked himself.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Only the intermittent radio chatter spared Diego from the unnatural quietness that surrounded him. With every step, every movement, he raised his nose and sniffed, only for every time to return with the same answer. His mind considered the possibilities as to what had happened. When none of the possibilities were positive, he turned his mind elsewhere, listening to the radio instead;

_"...and Buck have just entered the valley. Still no sign of life, not even through my scope. This place is deserted, Manny."_

The sentiment froze Diego in his tracks; the idea that the entrance outside the valley was devoid of life was unsettling enough, but _inside _as well? Diego took in his surroundings in a sweeping gaze as Manny's voice ruptured the silence;

_"Deserted? How could it be deserted?"_

_"I don't know, but we're going to head back; makes more sense to discuss this in person. Diego, if you read me, head back. Frank over and out."_

"I'm on my way." Diego replied, retracing his steps with vigour.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Manny looked on in consternation as both Frank and Buck emerged out of the passage, their expressions of dread perfectly mingled with confusion. Behind him, he could hear Diego skidding to a stop, heaving from the exertion. He turned to the sabre eagerly,

"Find anything?" He asked.

Diego shook his head,

"There aren't any new scents," He said. "But the thing is...there aren't any _old _scents either. This place has been abandoned for weeks, maybe even months."

"Sounds about right," Buck chipped in. "We saw no tracks at all, letalone anything 'eaded anywhere."

"What happened here?" Sid said fearfully.

Silence lingered in the air. Manny knew they were all attempting to find a rhyme or reason...or _something..._that explained it.

"The only explanation I can think of..." Buck murmured, drawing all attention to himself in the process. "...ain't even possible..."

In the corner of his eye, Manny could see Diego jerk upright. He flickered his gaze between the two, wondering what he was missing.

"They may have been able to get here," Diego replied, as if answering Buck's unstated opinion. "Sabres can travel very large distances quickly, Soto more so than others."

Frank let out a derisive snort,

"A hundred miles in three days?" He exclaimed incredulously. "I'd be amazed if Terry's pack has even returned to them yet, let alone him travelling a hundred miles and getting here before us!"

"Well if it ain't Soto, then wot else d'ya know that could empty an entire _valley_ of everything." Buck retorted.

Frank slumped slightly.

"I don't know," He replied, all incredulity drained from his voice. "But whatever it is, I'm not keen on being here long enough to find out."

Manny quickly scanned the herd, trying to divine what everyone else was thinking. Unsurprised, he saw that they all seemed to ruefully agree with Frank, but that left Manny with yet more questions. He glanced behind him, pondering whether they could risk backtracking and finding another way. He turned back towards the passage, now pregnant with menace.

He bit his lip; he had no idea what they should do.

"Any bright ideas?" He asked aloud. "Do we go forward, or back?

"We can't go back," Diego said firmly. "We'd run the risk of running into Soto."

Ellie shot him a confused glance,

"I thought you just said he was in the valley?" She quizzed.

"Soto's not an idiot," Diego replied. "If all this is his handiwork, he would have made sure some of his pack were following us from behind..."

Manny could sense an argument rising around him. In no mood to brook such bickering, he stamped his foot,

"Then we'll go through the valley," He stated, hoping his decision would pre-emptively silence any dissent. "Either way, we'll run into Soto if Diego is right, and we're not even sure if this _is _Soto...we'll pass through and stay by the valley entrance tonight," He flickered his gaze between every member of the herd, waiting till they nodded their assent.

"Okay," He murmured. "Let's find somewhere safe to stay before sunset."

Before anyone could speak, he turned and walked towards the passageway towards the Meltdown Valley itself. He maintained a stern expression even as his emotions roiled within him. For the second time in a month, he found himself trying to protect his daughter, his mate and his herd against forces he couldn't face.

How could he protect them if he couldn't see them? He asked himself, fearing the answer to his question.

Only the weight that shifted on his back alerted Manny to Sid's presence. Silencing his own thoughts for a moment, he heard - and felt - the sloth sigh deeply.

"So much for the holiday." Sid murmured sadly to himself.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The sun gleamed faintly over the ridge of the western cliffs, casting deepening shadows over the valley even as Frank looked on. Bar the gentle rustle of leaves, the gentler murmured of the herd and the crackling of the fire behind him, the valley was utterly silent.

He stood there in silence, studying the vast enclosed expanse before him, trying to comprehend how _anything, _letalone Soto's pack, could cause such desolation.

In the back of his mind, he knew it couldn't be, even if it was the only thing they had to go on. He heard Diego and Manny come to stand beside him, but his eyes remained fixed on the horizon.

"It's quiet," Diego murmured. "Way too quiet."

He nodded slightly, tapping his hand on his rifle.

"We should check it out," He replied. "See if we can find anything...or anyone...that can shed light on what happened here."

"Do you really think we'll find anything?" Diego stated cautiously.

He furrowed his brow,

"I don't know," He admitted. "But if there's any clues, then they're out there."

He turned to look at Manny,

"We'll stay in radio contact," He stated. "And we'll be back before it's dark."

For a long moment Manny remained silent, staring pensively into the distance. Eventually he nodded,

"Be careful out there," He murmured. "The last thing we need is two of our best fighters injured."

Impatient to leave, Frank nodded, glanced at Diego, and sped into the underbrush. Within moments, they had disappeared from sight.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Diego trotted ambivalently through the silent forests, sniffing in every direction for a scent. In every enclosure they found, every cave, rock, tree, pathway...

Everywhere they looked they found nothing. He let out an aggravated sigh as he looked up, noting the rapidly deepening shade of blue. He glanced behind him, picturing the herd they had left behind.

_We said we would be back by dark, _He recalled.

Now looking forward into the dark shadows ahead of him, he realised he had lost track of Frank in his mere moments of musing.

"Frank," He called out. "Come on, buddy, we need to get back."

For a long moment, nothing but the faint echo of his voice resounded about him. Panic crept into him; had he lost Frank?

No, he reassured himself; he could still smell him. The human was not more than fifty paces ahead of him. He strode forward in annoyance, confused about the human's silence.

"You frozen, Frank?" He shouted. "Come on!"

"You need to see this," Frank shouted back, his tone more tense than Diego expected. "I've...found...something."

The tone alone set Diego's hairs on end. He broke out of his stride into a full sprint, skidding to a halt beside Frank in what looked like an empty enclosure.

He collided with several objects, the sheer force of the impact scattering them loudly across the floor. At first he believed them to be rocks...

_White, loose, oddly shaped rocks?_ He quizzed himself.

He peered closely at them, noting the shapes and sizes; some were slender, larger at the tips than the edges, whilst others were round, with two holes in the front of...

"Crap!" He exclaimed in shock, jumping back several paces. "They're bones!"

Frank's flashlight played across the enclosure, revealing it's macabre inhabitants.

Bones. Hundreds of them.

Diego recognised the species amongst them as the light danced over them. He looked on grimly at the remains of hundreds of people, the most prominent being the dozens of skeletons of mammoths.

_Wait..._

The postures grabbed his attention almost as much as the unusual damage some of the bones exhibited. Every body he saw was arrayed in the countless positions that the indignity of violent death could afford, all having fallen in one direction;

Diego realised that every pair of eye sockets were, give or take a few, aimed in their direction.

_They were running away, _he noted.

_But what were they running from?_

"They're bullet wounds..." Frank murmured quietly.

Diego snapped round,

"You mean Buck was right?" He exclaimed. "Terry got ahead of us somehow?"

Even as he said it, he knew it wasn't correct; the bones were just that - bones.

Frank slowly shook his head, his eyes misted over.

"No," He said, his voice now tinged with emotion. "They would be fresh if it was Terry. This happened months a-"

The human froze suddenly. Diego stared at him in confusion,

"What is it?" He asked. Frank remained silent, gesturing his head towards a spot in the middle of the enclosure before moving slowly forward. Surrounded by darkness and the remains of hundreds of people, Diego cautiously followed.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The camp they had set up was silent. It surprised Manny that even the possums were in no mood for frivolity. Gaze now falling upon his daughter - by then soundly asleep - he chastised himself for bringing her into such a dangerous place.

"This isn't your fault," Ellie whispered beside him. "She's not in danger because of anything you've done."

Manny nodded silently, unconvinced by her statement. The gentle pressure of Ellie's trunk on his dragged his attention away from his slumbering daughter, bringing himself literally face to face with his mate.

"This is bigger than all of us," She said. "You can't blame yourself for it."

He winced at the statement; he remembered her saying those words in an underground cavern years before.

"We seem to find ourselves in a lot of things that are bigger than us," He replied wearily. "I just..."

_Wish the humans hadn't come. Soto wasn't alive. That none of this had happened._

He couldn't finish the sentence. He pictured Frank, Claire and Ben, recalling all they had already done - and risked - to protect the herd.

The fact that a part of him wished they weren't there filled him with shame.

"I just wish it was simpler," He finished lamely. "That we could just have a peaceful life."

He could hear Ellie chuckle beside him,

"Yeah, right," She retorted playfully. "You'd be bored out of your skull if this sorta stuff didn't happen, and you know it!"

Manny smiled,

"Yeah, I gue-"

He stopped as a noise filled the valley, echoing off of the walls. He jumped to his feet at the familiar - and yet still unfamiliar - sound.

"Was that..._gunfire_?" He stated.

Claire now stood, looking northwards in panic. Within seconds, she had placed her radio to her lips.

"Frank?" She cried out. "Diego? Please respond!..._please..._"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

As Diego followed Frank through the field of bones, weaving his way around the remains, he finally saw what the human was walking towards.

His confusion grew deeper.

Frank was walking directly towards a shrub, out of which a rock - oddly shaped, but a rock all the same - protruded. He glanced at the dark outline of his friend, mentally asking him what he was doing.

He almost gasped as the rock glinted in the light. Drawing nearer, he finally saw it for what it was.

"What the?" He murmured in surprise.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank realised he had been holding his breath for the whole walk through the ghostly remains. As he stood over the shrub, he let it out in a long, bitter sigh.

Almost utterly concealed by plants and underbrush lay a rifle, its grip held by a skeletal hand that seemingly had reached out from the shrub to grab it. He knelt down beside the rifle and pulled back the shrub, already knowing what he would find.

A human, long since decayed to bone, lay lifeless beneath the shrub. He recognised the camouflage overalls, the body armour, the helmet and radio...

_A soldier, _he decided.

He pulled the corpse closer to himself, flashing his light onto the shoulder. The insignia of lieutenant had been printed on, straddled beneath it by a symbol that was both familiar and menacing to Frank. He closed his eyes, sensing the rage building up in him.

_Bastards, _he thought to himself, _arrogant, impatient BASTARDS!_

"Is he, ah, one of yours?" Diego asked tentatively.

Frank remained silent, unable to form a coherent sentence even if he tried. He felt betrayed, confused, bewildered and lost. He screwed his eyes tightly shut, forcing all his emotion down from whence it came. Yet he could still picture them, looking smugly down at him from their seats as they gave him an unacceptable choice he couldn't refuse.

"Frank?" Diego murmured.

He snapped out of his thoughts, focussing on Diego.

"No, he's not." Frank replied tersely.

He glanced down at the rifle. Unceremoniously, he yanked it out of the dead man's grip and studied it. To his surprise it seemed serviceable. In fact, he reckoned it might even work. He aimed it at a nearby tree, deciding to test his theory.

The silence of the region only served to amplify the sheer, violent, guttural noise of the gun's roar. No birds jumped out of their perches in surprised fear. Nothing else moved.

Frank knew, in that one shot, he had proven that the valley is utterly empty.

"Huh," He grunted. "Damn thing still works."

Almost instantly, Claire's panicked voice filled the air, blurting out of both his and Diego's radios,

"_Frank? Diego? Please respond...please..."_

He snuck the rifle into the crook of his arm and spoke into his radio,

"It's all right, Claire," He said. "Was just testing a rifle we found."

_"A rifle you _found?" Claire's voice exclaimed incredulously.

"We'll explain when we get there," He replied. "Get everyone ready to move; we're leaving."

_"Leaving?" _Manny's voice chimed in. "_Why?"_

"I'll explain when we get back," He said gruffly. "Frank over and out."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The mood around the campfire had grown tense in anticipation of Frank and Diego's return. Manny sat perfectly still, his trunk wrapped around his daughter, staring keenly into the darkness beyond. Every creaking and whistling of the wind through the trees or off the rock faces set his nerves on edge.

He didn't feel safe in their little camp _before_ Frank's foreboding message, but now he found himself scanning everything, fearing anything he couldn't see.

His ears perked up at the noise of a twig breaking just beyond his field of range. The possums, with a speed he didn't expect, had hidden themselves on his back, shivering from fear.

Relief - and annoyance - filled him when the fire outlined Frank and Diego coming towards them like ghostly apparitions.

"What's going on?" Manny demanded. "Why are you scaring everyone?"

Frank's gaze bored into him with an expression Manny had never seen before; anger, rage, fear...all mixed into one.

_He's terrified, _Manny noted. The thought gave him no comfort.

"We found some of the valley's inhabitants," Frank replied stonily. "About three hundred of them. All dead, killed long enough ago for there to be nothing but skeletons left. Amongst them was a human carrying this."

He held up the rifle for all to see, eliciting gasps and shocked expressions. Manny eyed the weapon suspiciously.

"I thought you said your expedition were the only humans here," He growled.

"Yes well it seems I was wrong," Frank spat angrily. "As far as I knew we _were _the only ones they sent back, but it doesn't matter; they are here, and they are clearly armed."

_They._

Manny didn't miss the usage, but he let it slide for the moment; he had more important things to deal with.

"Who are we dealing with here?" He quizzed.

"European soldiers," Frank replied. "Well armed, highly trained, and they never, _ever_ come alone."

The title he gave them flew over Manny's - and, from his quick scan of the herd, virtually everyone else's - heads. Claire, for whom the words had meaning, leant forward in shock,

"The EU?" She said in surprise. "Are here?"

Frank nodded in assent.

"Yes, and it means we cannot stay in the valley," He stated. "We need to get out, now. Go back the way we came and find another way."

"We can't," Manny growled. "We would run the risk of running into Soto."

"Soto only has two guns, maybe four at most," Frank snapped. He held the rifle up once more. "These people will have a whole _arsenal_. Soto we can at least defeat, but _them? _We'd be dead within minutes if we had to face them."

Manny glared at Frank. Around him, he could sense fear in the herd.

_You said you were the only humans here, _he thought at the human, _you lied to us._

"Look," Diego said, moving slightly further into the light. "We've seen what these things can do. If Frank's right, then I vote we head back. If we move quickly we might be able to get out of the valley and head east before Soto, Terry or whoever's following us now gets here."

Manny paused in his anger, caught off guard by his best friend's suggestion. Startled out of his rage, he weighed up their situation; to face an enemy they could beat, or one they couldn't.

Now that he thought about it, he begrudgingly accepted the soundness of Frank's point.

"Fine," He grumbled, raising himself to his feet. "Let's do this. Diego, lead the way."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Manny could only tell that they were drawing near to the passageway not by what he could see, but what he couldn't. He glanced up at the sky, filled with stars twinkling indifferently at him, and lowered his sight until the sky abruptly turned black. An outline, more absence of light than anything seen, was all that he had to go with. He looked ahead, only just seeing Diego ahead of him, and envied his ability to see in the dark.

Drawing nearer to the massive outline of darkness, a slither of sky became discernible, slicing directly through the void. He breathed a sigh of relief; they were nearly out of the valley.

But to what end? He played the scenarios out endlessly, his mind festering on the notion of Soto - and his whole band - waiting for them at the other side. A strong - and bitterly cold - wind blew down the passage, snapping him out of his reverie. Ahead of him, Diego slowed to a stop, his nose pointed into the air.

"Damnit." The sabre grumbled.

Manny lifted his trunk and sniffed, only to blink in surprise at the familiar scents that assaulted him.

"Is that smoke?" He quizzed.

"Yeah," Diego replied. "But it's worse than that; sabres and human scents too. They're faint, but they're there," He could see the sabre turn to look at him, though the darkness concealed whatever expression lay there. "They're near the entrance, and waiting for us."

"Damnit," Manny agreed.

"We can't go through the passage," Diego stated quietly. "They will hear us coming long before we can get away."

"So we can't get out this way?" Frank whispered.

"Not a chance," Diego replied. "Not unless you wanna get pinned down in a narrow corridor and become their midnight snack."

He heard Frank mutter something under his breath.

"Ok," The human murmured. "...how big is the valley?"

"Big," Manny said. "Four, maybe five days travel."

"Three if we move quickly." Diego added.

Frank paused for a moment. Manny imagined his expression to be one of deep thought.

"Do you think we can get through discretely?" He asked aloud. "Remain undetected?"

"I can give it my best shot." Diego replied.

Even without the whole plan being said, Manny knew what it was, and he inwardly groaned; 'moving quickly' meant long distances punctuated by the shortest resting periods that can be managed.

In short - as far as Manny was concerned - it meant discomfort and weariness.

Worse, he knew it was the only logical thing they can do.

"All right," He murmured. "Let's go before they see us. We have a long way to travel, we might as well start now."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

All of Manny's suspicions had proven true. The herd travelled for two days solidly, broken up only by several breathers and a couple of hours of sleep a day. As their journey progressed, even Diego - by far the strongest and most healthy in the herd - started to show the strain. Haggard, weary and tired beyond all reckoning though they were, they ploughed on. Whether by the fear of being caught up with by Soto, or fear of the humans that might be in the valley, Manny didn't know; he reckoned it probably was a bit of both.

Within a short span of time, every member of the herd had found their place - or formation as Frank called it, smiling ruefully as he did so - in their trek; Diego and Frank, the strongest fighters, lead from the front. Ellie and Claire made up the middle, with Manny at the rear so as to give the children the best possible defence against attack. But such notions quickly fled their minds as their weariness took over. Manny felt the weight of Ben and Mark on his back, envying their smallness - and thus their ability to be carried - for such a trek.

"Diego," He called out. "Any trace of humans?"

_Or anything else? _He added mentally.

"No," Diego replied. "Nothing at...wait..."

Manny perked up, eyeing the sabre with interest.

"What is it?"

Diego blinked in surprise,

"I can smell animals!" He said. "Lots of them!"

Manny opened his mouth to speak, but his words lodged in his throat as a new, unfamiliar voice spoke,

"Very astute, sabre. It only took you two days to do so, but very astute indeed."

In the blink of an eye, dozens of animals seemingly manifested out of the surrounding terrain, waving claws and spears at the herd. Ahead of him, he could see both Frank and Claire instinctively unslinging their rifles.

"That would be a foolish move, humans." The voice cooly stated.

Manny glanced up at the slight ridge beside them, intent on knowing the owner of the voice. To his surprise, on the ridge stood a large, grey dire wolf. The sheer size of the animal struck Manny as impressive, realising almost immediately that he had to be almost equal to Diego in size.

Almost as impressive were his intense eyes, that now bored into Frank like spears. Inside, Manny felt relieved to not be the recipient of such a stare.

Frank, still frozen in the action of reaching for his gun, slowly raised his hands away from his rifle.

"What do you want with us?"

The wolf smiled slightly,

"My name is Lieutenant James Hudson," He stated, as if oblivious to Frank's query. "Commander of this unit, and I am placing the three humans amongst you under arrest."

"What!" Everyone spluttered in unison.

"On what charges?" Frank demanded.

Hudson snarled at him briefly,

"Your species is charged with innumerable counts of assault, arson, unlawful dispossession, enslavement, grievous bodily harm, extreme environmental and social destruction and murder bordering on genocide."

Manny baulked at the charges; he had never heard such an extensive and devastatingly evil list of accusations. He glanced at Frank, Claire and Ben fearfully, wondering what would happen to them should the wolf get his way.

"Come on," He exclaimed incredulously. "You cannot be serious! These humans are innocent! They-"

"They came from the future, did they not?" The wolf contended.

"Well, yeah, but-" Manny replied less confidently.

"Then how _dare_ you claim their innocence after the devastation they caused!" Hudson growled, pressing his face close to Manny's.

"But we are!" Claire pleaded. "We're part of a scientific expedition to this time! My name is Claire Howard, and this is my husband Frank and my son Ben. We are not guilty of this! We don't even know what's happened!"

The wolf's expression changed from anger to horror in an instance. He staggered back, staring wide eyed at Frank.

"_You_ are Frank Howard?" He asked in bewilderment.

Diego cocked his head in confusion,

"You know him?"

Hudson ignored Diego entirely, still focussed on Frank.

"But that's impossible," He stated. "The expedition had seven members, not three."

Manny and Diego quickly looked at each other in surprise.

"We know at least two others are with a pack of sabres down south, and we guess that the other two are with them...but how do _you_ know that?" Diego quizzed, his voice tinged with suspicion.

The wolf grimaced, closing his eyes as if in contemplation. Within moments he began to tense up, his eyes fiery when he opened them once more.

"If that's the case," The wolf said menacingly. "Then where the hell were you, Mr. Howard? Why did you let _any _of this happen?"

"Any of what happen?" Frank replied.

"DON'T TOY WITH ME!" Hudson bellowed.

"I'm not!" Frank retorted. "I haven't got a bloody clue what happened! As far as we're concerned we've only been here two weeks! And most of _that_ has been trying to not get killed at the hands of a pack of sabres!"

Hudson's smouldering gaze rested solely of Frank,

"So you are telling me that you have no idea as to what happened?" He said dubiously. "I find that very hard to believe...although it would explain what the humans here called you."

Manny stood aside, watching the whole display with interest; Frank cocking his head in shock, the wolf chuckling humourlessly to himself. Looking on, he suddenly wondered whether the wolf was aware of any other presence save Frank's.

_Why is this wolf so interested in him? _He wondered.

"What?" Frank mustered.

"Oh yes," Hudson replied with feigned congeniality. "Your reputation does precede you, Mr. Howard! The humans that used to terrorise these lands hailed you as the inventor of time travel, but they better knew you as the harbinger of death or...put more simply...the man who killed time."

"I-I…" Frank stuttered, at an utter loss for words. Manny felt for him at that moment; he had no idea how _he _would respond to even a fraction of what the human had just been assaulted with, let alone doing so as his family was surrounded by animals armed with spears.

"I'm sorry for whatever has happened, but you must understand; I have no idea what you are talking about." Frank finally said.

Hudson's expression morphed into a frown,

"You truly don't know what's happened, do you?" He said, evidently surprised. "You honestly haven't got a clue about the devastation that's been caused."

"What devastation?" Diego retorted.

Hudson made a gesture with his paw, encompassing everything around.

"Have you seen any living thing in here recently?" He asked plainly.

"What _has_ happened here?" Ellie quizzed intently. "Where is everybody?"

The wolf's eyes glazed over, seeming distant for a moment.

"It would be easier to simply show you," He muttered. "Come with me."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rain drenched Frank's clothes even as it turned the ground he walked on into mud, but he didn't notice; his eyes were still focussed on the wolf who had been leading them - under armed guard - for more hours than his tired brain could count. The ground gradually became steeper, the mud proving more slippery than he expected. Yet still his eyes looked straight ahead. He still grappled with everything the wolf had accused him of, all that he had said happened. Not for one moment did he doubt the wolf's sincerity; he could sense his darkest and greatest fear encroaching on him.

As he trudged up the hill, he knew he was about to witness something he had warned against, pleaded against sending an expedition back in time because of...

He was so caught up in his own thoughts he barely registered the wolf drawing to a halt at the summit above him. He glanced up at Hudson,

"I am sorry," The wolf said quietly. "But this, Mr. Howard, is your legacy."

Frank noted the wolf's paw, pointing to a place beyond the summit. With fear and curiosity mingled in equal parts, he sprinted hard against the mud until the vista beyond came into view.

"What in God's name..." He exclaimed. His knees suddenly felt weak at the sight before him.

Towering in the distance was a mass of steel and concrete, lacing the walls in the southwest corner of the valley. As he surveyed the scene before him, he could see black residue from detonations pepper the remaining cliff, with gigantic remnants of ice at its base. He took a step back, staring in blank confusion at the charred remains of forests,

at the crater holes in the countryside. Even from such a distance, he could make out some charred remains of trucks.

His heart literally hurt at the sight.

"What _is _that?" Manny gasped.

Frank remained still, looking on with tears in his eyes,

"That...is a human complex."

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-  
End of Chapter 17  
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

Thanks for reading all! Feel free to review :P

Till 18,  
T


	18. The Complex

**Aloha everyone!**

**Congratulations for reading this far! This is by no means a short story, and your willingness to read this far is impressive! I hope you continue to enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

**Without further ado...**

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

No one spoke for a long moment. For what felt like an eternity, all anyone could do was stare silently at the complex before them. Only the patter of the rain could be heard.

"I-I-I don't understand," Frank stammered rhetorically. "What is that doing here?" He paced around angrily, until he turned towards the wolf, enraged.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING DOING HERE!" He bellowed. Hudson remained impassive.

"That's a good question, Mr. Howard," He replied through gritted teeth. "Why indeed."

Manny turned to face Frank with an annoyed stare,

"I thought you said you were the first humans to travel through time."

"We were," Frank retorted. "This shouldn't have happened! They-they-I don't understand!"

"There are a dozen pairs of eyes seeing evidence to the contrary," Hudson stated. "And I know that there are a lot of people who would like to see a human pay for these crimes…"

Before anyone realised what was going on, Diego leapt from his spot onto the wolf, pinning him to the floor.

"You won't see daybreak if you do!" Diego growled.

Hudson smiled slightly. He could see in the corner of his eye his pack readying their spears. He threw up his paw, stopping them in their tracks.

"…Or," he continued calmly. "You could help us redeem the situation."

Diego cocked his head in irritated confusion.

"What?" He exclaimed, "How? The valley is already ruined!"

"Then let me get up and I shall explain." Hudson replied tersely.

Diego felt a trunk gently tugging at him.

"Let him get up," Manny said firmly. "If there's any chance of fixing this, I'm all for it." Diego shot one last menacing glare at Hudson before he stepped back, allowing him to move. Frank walked towards him slowly.

"This was not my doing," He muttered earnestly. Hudson could see tears welling up in his eyes.

He gave a knowing smile,

"If I thought you were, I wouldn't be giving you a choice in this; we know you were not directly involved."

Diego snarled,

"So what are you doing arresting them then!"

"Because I did not know who they were when I did." Hudson snapped.

"Wait," Manny said forcefully. "How do you even know who they are?"

Hudson made a gesture with his paw towards the complex.

"The humans who built that…spoke… of him," He said slowly. He chuckled, "My apologies, I've framed it too politely; what I mean is that they used his name as an _insult_; Frank Howard, the 'great' inventor of the time machine, better known as 'the man who killed Time'."

Frank grimaced as he emphasised the end of his sentence.

"Needless to say, in order for his name to take such pride of place in humanity's hatred, he must have preceded them by quite some..." Hudson smiled at the irony. "Time."

What felt like an eternity of silence passed.

"What do you want from us?" Frank whispered.

Hudson looked firmly into Frank's eyes.

"Help us." He said softly.

"How?" Manny quizzed.

Hudson smiled slightly,

"Mr. Howard knows how."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The moon had risen silently into the starry sky, bathing the valley in a ghostly white glow. Manny sat, his gaze shifting between the herd and the hills; could just about see the faint, moonlit outline of Lt. Hudson in the distance, having barely moved from their encounter earlier that day. Manny stared at the dire wolf as he mulled over what had happened, hoping it would begin to make sense. And yet, the more he thought about it, the more it confused him.

_What does Frank have to do with all of this?_ He asked himself.

He turned from the wolf and began to pay attention to Frank, who sat pensively by the fire.

"Frank, can we talk?" Manny asked quietly.

Frank jerked, as if snapping out of a daydream.

"Huh?...oh, yeah, of course Manny."

"In private?"

Frank looked up at him, perplexed.

"Ah…ok?"

Manny led him away from the camp. When he felt he was safely out of earshot, he slowed down to a stop. Frank looked at him ambivalently,

"Are you alright, Manny?" He asked gently.

"No," Manny replied honestly. "I haven't been fine from the moment we got into this valley, and I've definitely not been fine today…in fact, today has left me with a lot of questions."

Frank gave him a smile that did not reach his eyes,

"You and me both."

"What's happening here, Frank?" Manny asked earnestly.

"I don't know yet," Frank murmured. "I'm hoping the complex will have some answers…"

"Did you know this could happen?" Manny asked cautiously.

Frank looked up at the stars, sighing as he did so.

"What are you trying to say, Manny?" He murmured.

"I'm not trying to say it; I just did," The mammoth retorted. "Did you know, when you came here, that this could happen?"

"Yes." he stated flatly.

Manny shot a surprised, and annoyed, look at him.

"What! You knew this could happen!" He exclaimed. "You came here knowing this could happen?"

"This is not our fault…"

"Oh, of course not!" Manny replied sarcastically. "You just turned up and this all magically happened whilst you were here! So tell me Frank; why did you come?"

Frank remained silent.

"Well, Frank? Because of you this whole valley is deserted…"

"This is not my doing…" Frank muttered quietly. Manny ignored him, continuing in his rant,

"…and now hundreds, if not thousands of animals are homeless or worse, because of you…"

"I said this is not. My. Doing." Frank growled through gritted teeth.

"…so please tell me, Frank; why are you here!"

Before he knew what was going on, Manny felt the human thrust his face aside. Staggering back, he looked up to see Frank - nostrils flaring in rage - pointing his gun at him.

"BECAUSE I HAD NO CHOICE!" Frank bellowed. Manny took a step back in surprised fear as Frank's echo began to resound through the valley, the pistol shaking in his. In the distance, the entire herd fell quiet. Within moments, he heard them calling out, their voices drawing closer.

_Don't come near! _He thought at them in a panic. _Don't come near!_

"You really want to know, mammoth?" Frank spat aggressively. "Well fine, I'll tell you; I was betrayed by the very people I had turned to for help, people who I stupidly thought knew better. I didn't think this expedition was a good idea, but it's a damn sight better than the plans they had! There, now you know; happy now!"

"Wait…you didn't want to come?" Manny said, confused. "But, why are you here?"

"BECAUSE THIS WAS THE ONLY CHOICE THEY LEFT ME!" He roared. "THIS WAS A CONCESSION."

"A _concession_?" Manny repeated. He could see the herd in the corner of his eye, frozen in shock. He looked back at Frank, suddenly fearing for more lives than just his own. "Frank, calm down, come on, this isn't going to solve anyth-"

"What's going on here?" Ellie demanded, eyes wide with horror.

Frank shot a glance sideways at the herd, before returning his gaze at Manny.

"Manfred here has just kindly accused me of genocide," Frank replied acridly. The human's eyes flickered upwards. Manny could tell, from where he was looking, that he was staring at the complex in the distance.

"And so I am going to go clear my name," He continued. "I'm going to the base, immediately."

"What? Frank, be reasona-" Claire attempted.

"And let my reputation get stained like this?" Frank spat back. "No. I'm going, now."

"At least let someone come with you," Manny said. "We don't know what's out the-"

"No," Frank said bluntly. He took several deep breaths, sense slowly returning to his eyes. He stared at the gun in shock. To Manny's relief, he replaced the pistol into it's holster.

"No," He said again, calmly. "I'm not going to put anyone else in danger because of this. And I-I..." He glanced at Manny and winced. "Damn...did I really just do that?"

Manny stared at him incredulously,

"Ah...yeah, yeah you did."

Frank rubbed his eyes, letting out a bitter sigh as he did so.

"I'm sorry everyone," He said quietly. "I didn't mean to wake you. It's been a...hard...day. Of course I'm not going tonight...I promise. Um... I just need to say something to Manny in private, if you please?"

"Not with your gun still on you!" Manny retorted.

The human nodded meekly, handing his pistol over to Claire. Manny watched as the herd left, feeling panic once more. Frank looked on, waiting till they were far enough away.

"I'm sorry, Manny," He said earnestly. "I'm really sorry...I have no excuse."

"No, you don't," Manny retorted.

_You __did__ accuse him of genocide, Manny, _his mind retorted. _That's gotta unsettle a guy._

"Ok, so maybe you did," He conceded. "I'm...I'm sorry I accused you of anything."

Frank grunted, dropping himself beside the mammoth. To Manny's surprise, he leant into the him. Whether he was trying to hug him, or simply rest against him, he wasn't sure.

"It was...fair, all things considered," Frank murmured. "I lashed out because I really don't know if I'm responsible for this or not...and the scary thing is, that - until i find out - I can't be sure that I'm not...but it's no excuse; you're my friend, not my verbal punchbag."

Manny snapped his head round, staring into Frank's eyes,

"You- you think of me as a friend?" He said in surprise.

Frank smirked.

"We've spent every day for the last month together, Manny. It was bound to happen at some point." He said.

Manny nodded, unsure how to reply to the statement in a way that wouldn't be awkward. He opted against replying at all;

"So, you said something about a concession?" Manny said.

Frank frowned, his eyes glazed over,

"I managed to get an agreement from them, of which the expedition was part…it wasn't my idea, or my suggestion, or something I wanted...but it was the least worst option of the options available, and it was the _only _option I could realistically take," Manny saw anger and pain dwell in the human's eyes. "I was forced to come here, Manny."

Manny stared at him, not knowing what to say. He knew he had mocked and accused him, even taunted him about what had happened around them, all because it had something to do with them.

_He knew this could happen, and so didn't want to come_.

The realisation filled him with guilt.

"I'm sorry Frank," He fumbled. "I didn't mean to …you know…"

"It's ok, Manny," He stated. "Were in your position, I imagine I would be as pissed off as you were."

"I gotta ask though," Manny fumbled. "If you didn't think the expedition was a good idea, then why are _you_ on it?"

Frank's frown deepened. "Like I said, I was forced...they had ideas for the technology that was outright dangerous, so I managed to get them to agree to this expedition, to test the effects of time travel on the integrity of the timeline. The one problem, for me anyway, was that they only agreed if _I_ were to lead it...not even Claire knows this." Frank continued mutely. "As far as she's concerned, this expedition was my idea."

"Frank, I…"

"I know you have a lot of questions," Frank said, quickly cutting him off. "And I'll answer them all in due time…but I have to find out what's gone wrong first, and soon."

Manny picked up on the insinuation.

"You're still going?" He asked.

"Yes," Frank replied gently. "It wasn't a fit of passion when I said I couldn't just stand here and not know whether I am guilty...I need to know whether this is…"

"Your fault?" Manny asked, meriting a slight nod from the human. "But can't that wait till morning?"

"If you were in my position, wouldn't you want to know?" Frank asked bluntly. "Besides, it's a full moon; I can see clearly."

Manny furrowed his brow,

"There's no way I'm going to talk you out of this, is there."

Frank smiled weakly,

"I think you and I both know we're stubborn in almost equal measures."

Manny chuckled,

"You wish."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Both of them returned to the herd and lay down to sleep, except Frank simply lay there, waiting. As the sound of snoring began to rise, Frank quietly sat up, checking that everyone was asleep. Once he was satisfied that he was the only one awake, he carefully slid his gun onto his shoulder and slowly started creeping away.

"It's funny; I recall you saying you weren't going anywhere."

Frank froze at the sound of Diego's voice. He turned round to see Diego's eyes glinting in the moonlight.

"I'm not putting this herd at risk," Frank whispered. "Especially not if there's a possibility that I can set things right without endangering you all."

Diego paused in thought, before standing up.

"You're not going alone." He replied.

Frank contemplated arguing, but merely nodded.

Buck jumped up from his spot,

"If you're going on an adventure, count me in!"

Frank and Diego turned sharply towards him in shock.

"How long have you been awake?" Frank quizzed.

Buck grinned. "I lived in a world of beasts that wanted me for dinner; light sleepin' comes quite naturally in a place like that. And I'm coming with you!"

"Alright then, just keep it down, ok?" Frank whispered harshly. "Come on you two; with any luck we'll be back before sun…"

Frank trailed off as, to everyone's surprise, Sid waddled through the middle of the trio.

"…rise," Frank finished distractedly. "Don't tell me _he_ wants to come along as well?"

Diego gently put a paw out, into which Sid slowly walked, halting to a stop. Diego waved his paw in front of him and, after a while, chuckled,

"He's sleepwalking."

"Well, could we put 'im back?" Buck asked.

Diego shook his head.

"He'll probably wake up if we tried that."

Buck shrugged,

"Ah well, he'll just 'ave to come with us!"

Diego smiled,

"Trust Sid to be at his most heroic when he's asleep!"

"Alright then," Frank decided. "Sid comes with us. Diego, is ok if you carry him on your back?"

Diego let out a very long sigh.

"Fine." Diego muttered eventually, his hurt pride practically painted onto his face.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Claire stirred earlier than usual; as she opened her eyes she could make out the grey light of pre-dawn. She reached out, hoping to grasp Frank to draw him closer. Yet, even in her tired and groggy state, she could feel that something wasn't right. She immediately sat bolt upright, scanning the herd intently.

"Where's Frank?" She muttered aloud.

…_and Buck…and Diego...and…_

…_Sid?_

"They're gone!" She shouted. "They're gone!"

Within moments the entire herd was awake, and commotion ensued.

"Dad? DAD!" Ben started shouting in every direction. Mark and the possums began to scout around urgently for any scent they could find. Crash froze, sniffing the air intently. He turned back towards Claire, pointing ahead of him.

"They went that way!" He shouted.

Ellie looked on in tired irritation.

"Frank said he wouldn't go tonight," She muttered. Manny tried to look as nonchalant as possible. Ellie shot him an unamused look. "And now not only is he gone, but are three others.

She paused, eyes piercing into him.

"I think you know why, don't you." She stated.

Manny tried hard to avoid eye contact, whistling as he did so.

"Manfred," Ellie almost growled. "If you know something…_anything_…now is the time to say it."

Manny flinched at the use of his full name.

"If I answer, will I not be in trouble?" He asked cautiously.

"If you answer you will be in _less_ trouble than if you don't!" Ellie retorted.

Manny sighed deeply,

"Ok, ok! Frank decided to go alone in the middle of the night anyway to protect the rest of us, in case there was something dangerous there."

"Frank decided to go _alone_?" Claire exclaimed. "Then why is Diego, Buck and Sid missing?"

"Diego and Buck probably went with him to-" Manny cut himself off in confusion. "Did you just say _Sid_?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank, Buck and Diego slowed to a halt in front of the imposing concrete mass in front of them. They stared at it silently in awe for what felt like minutes; only Sid made a noise as he happily snored away on Diego's back.

"I 'ad no idea you humans could build anything so…_big_…" Buck murmured.

"I hate to state the obvious," Diego said ambivalently. "But how are we planning on getting in?"

Frank took one look at the gateway and shot Diego a shrug. Before Diego could say anything, Frank walked cautiously up towards the gate and, to his surprise, it began to open.

Buck and Diego stood there, slack jawed.

"How did you do that?" Diego said in shock.

"Motion sensors, I guess." Frank posited.

"Motion what?" Buck quizzed.

Before Frank could answer, he could Sid sitting up on Diego's back.

"Morning guys!" He yawned. "How are you al…" He trailed off as he looked around. "Hey, where is everyone…" His look changed from confusion to shock as he noted where he was.

"Um…anyone care to fill me in?"

Frank remained silent. Pulling out a flashlight, he scanned the complex's courtyard. He paced through the gate, spun around, and paced back out again, staring about him in confusion.

"Frank, what's wrong?" Diego called out.

"What's _wrong_?" Frank responded. "Apart from everything, what's specifically wrong in the here and now is that something...is missing."

Everyone scanned around them, noting the empty base, the silence, the sense of abandonment...

"Where are the 'umans?" Buck quizzed.

"Where indeed," Frank muttered. "Something's wrong here. Very wrong."

The wind blew gently, rustling through the complex, sighing hauntingly as it weaved its way through abandoned buildings and vehicles. Frank drew his gun off of his shoulder and loaded it. Buck walked ahead of him, apparently completely unfazed by the development.

"Ain't those things like the one you came in?" Buck asked, pointing towards a whole array of trucks.

"Yeah," Frank remarked. "This doesn't make sense; why did they build this here, only to abandon it?"

"Would knowing help us?" Diego asked.

"Yes," Frank replied. He gestured towards one of the nearer buildings with the light. "Let's start there."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The more they saw of the base, the less things made sense. They found no signs that the base had been attacked externally and yet - in every corridor, every room, every nook and cranny - they found scenes that told a story of fighting and panic; scattered papers, upturned chairs, bullet holes peppering red-tinged hallways, skeletal remains slumped beneath it, devices they had been carrying at the time seemingly crushed by countless feet. Eventually, they had managed to switch on the base's lights, but that merely served to compound how utterly abandoned it was. None the wiser as to what had happened, they found themselves back in the courtyard.

"This place is giving me the creeps," Sid murmured, shivering. "Can we go now?"

No one listened, still scanning their surroundings. Wordlessly, Frank made his way over towards one of the numerous trucks they had found scattered about, opening up its bonnet to get a good look inside. Perplexed, the others joined him at staring, utterly nonplussed.

"This doesn't make sense," Frank said, slamming the bonnet shut. "This base doesn't make sense."

Diego shot an odd glance at him,

"You mean besides the fact it looks like it got attacked from the _inside_?"

"The technology here makes no sense," Frank clarified, gesturing towards the truck. "This base has technology I've never seen right next to technology so old it was antiquated before I was even born," The human stared upwards at the mass of concrete that was the central complex. "We need to find the control centre."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The sky had already turned grey with predawn when the endless cycle of devastated rooms and half lit corridors finally opened to reveal what Frank could only presume to be what they were looking for. Consoles, computers and workstations laced the edges and centre of the room, lit by a mass of lights and a wall of windows on the far side. He shared a glance with Diego and shrugged,

"I think this is it." He said.

"You _think?_" Buck repeated. "You mean you don't know?"

"Pretty much," Frank admitted. "I really don't recognise a lot of this stuff."

"What does all this stuff do?" Sid said. Frank merely looked at him,

"What part of '_I don't recognise most of this' _suggests I'd know?"

When Sid didn't reply, Frank followed his eye-line, surprised to find a corpse, slumped up against the only lit screen in the room. Ambivalently, Frank peeled the corpse away, stared at the screen, and let out a relieved sigh,

"It's in English," He said. "And, by the looks of it, still logged in."

"You realise we haven't got a clue what any of that means, right?" Diego replied.

He winced,

"Sorry," He said. "Keep forgetting where I am," He turned his attention to the corpse, carefully plucking it out of the chair and sitting down. "Let's get some answers, shall we?...oh, and don't touch anything."

In the corner of his eye, he could see Sid suddenly snatch his hand back to himself.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The sun shone through the windows, informing Frank that he had been at the desk for several hours at least. Joined by Diego and Buck, he had discovered an ultimate truth; the more he knew, the less he seemed to understand. Giving up, he leant back into the chair, rubbing his overtired eyes.

"We're getting nowhere," He grumbled. "This is such a waste of time."

"I wouldn't say that," Diego contended. "We now know the humans that made this base came from centuries after you did,"

"We know that they 'ad their 'ands full fighting'a war," Buck added.

"Which would explain why the technologies that would useful for war are vastly improved," Frank remarked as he rested his head on his palms. Slowly, his face contorted into a scowl. "But what it doesn't explain is why the base is here, or why time travel has been used like ..._this_"

"Um, guys?" Sid said anxiously. Frank glanced up at Sid, standing beside the window, and turned back to Diego.

"It makes no sense," Frank continued. "Their history is exactly as I remember it, then continues normally for about twenty years after I left, but then goes horribly wrong...but _why?_"

"Guys!" Sid called out.

"What is it?" Diego snapped.

"You know how we thought the base was empty?" Sid said.

"Well of course it's emp-" Frank sat up. "What do you mean _thought_?"

Joining Sid, everyone simply stared at the figure crossing the courtyard. Everything about the person - black hood and cape, hidden face - seemed familiar to Frank, though he couldn't place it.

_He was there, _the thought surged through his mind. _He was there when you crashed._

"Oh crap," Frank murmured. Before he could do anything, a flash of light blinded them. Blinking away the echoes, the figure was gone, replaced by virtually every machine around them erupting in klaxons as the floor beneath them began to rumble viciously.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING?" Diego shouted over the noise. As if reading his thoughts, a calm, emotionless female voice drifted over the klaxons;

_Code red; containment failure in the hanger bay; please proceed to the evacuation areas._

Dodging suddenly falling ceiling panels, Frank didn't notice the room growing dark. When he had realised, he turned swiftly, eyes widened in terror,

"EVERYBODY RUN!" He screamed.

In the blink of an eye, the glass and concrete that stood between them and the outside world crumpled like paper. Before they realised what was going on, the ceiling was collapsing on top of them as concrete, computers and glass was being thrust into their sides. With barely millimetres to spare, all four of them managed to get into the stairwell before the control room was torn to shreds.

"What in the animal kingdom was that?" Sid said, panicking.

Suddenly, a roar that shook the very stairs they stood on ripped through the air.

Buck's ears twitched in surprise,

"It can't be…"

Without another word, he sped back down the stairs.

"Buck, wait up!" Frank shouted out.

They sprinted down the stairs and into the open air, but Frank, Diego and Sid all froze in their tracks.

Buck stood grinning, his knife drawn,

"Hello again...Rudy."

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

**End of Chapter 18**

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**


	19. Extreme Measures

Frank froze. He stared in stunned confusion at the behemoth that towered before them; at its pale white complexion, at its huge mouth and jagged teeth, at its red eyes…

But what confused Frank most of all wasn't any of those things.

"That's a dinosaur!" He shouted, evidently panicked. Sid took one look at the beast before them, immediately recognising him.

"RUDY!" He squealed in terror, hiding behind Frank in terror.

He took a sharp intake of breath, expecting Rudy's attention to switch to them after such a display of fear, but the dinosaur paid no attention to any of them; his gaze was fixed intently upon Buck, who still stood confidently in front of him, wielding his knife. The beast stood back up to its full height, dwarfing the little weasel that in front of him. Buck craned his neck upwards, suddenly remembering just how tall Rudy was. After a momentary blip of panic, Buck quickly began to grin.

_This is going to be fun,_ the weasel thought gleefully.

Buck shot a look behind him at Diego,

"Get 'em outta 'ere, Tiger!" He shouted. "I'll hold 'im off!"

"We're not leaving you!" Diego called back.

Numbed by the impossible beast before him, it was only then that Frank suddenly remembered the weight he had in his hands. Determined, he raised his rifle, aiming squarely at Rudy's chest.

"Buck, get back here!" He shouted. Buck's eyes widened,

"Frank, don't shoot!" He called back fiercely, but it was too late; Frank had already fired several shots into the beast, its white exterior now streaked with tiny red lines as blood trickled from the bullet holes. Rudy roared angrily, glaring at the human who had caused him pain.

Diego groaned, "This is not gonna be good."

Within moments, Rudy sliced his huge tail towards them. Diego, Frank and Sid dived out of its way in the nick of time, allowing his tail to crash into the concrete structure behind him, the sheer force of which threw Frank off of his feet. He sat quickly up, staring agape at the structure above them. To his horror, he could see cracks beginning to streak the building.

"Oh crap." He muttered.

The cracks became gashes as the concrete began to tear away from the cliffs, beginning its speedy descent to the ground. For a moment they froze, staring blankly as the base's main structure collapsed onto them.

Frank and Diego quickly shared a brief look of mutual panic before they scrambled to their feet, running as fast as they could, Diego grabbing Sid in the process. Frank could just about hear the cacophony of concrete, glass and steel rapidly falling to the earth over the thunderous beating of his own heart. He became acutely aware that the sky was suddenly blotted out, causing panic to surge all the more in his chest as he realised that they were right in its destructive wake.

Without pausing for thought, Frank grabbed Diego by the scruff of his neck and, with all his might, hurled both himself, Diego and Sid aside, only stopping when he reckoned they were out of the trajectory of the collapsing structure. The ground shook violently as the air became rapidly filled with dust, creating an eerie smoke across the entire complex.

"Is everyone still alive?" Frank screamed, coughing as he did so.

He began to panic as his query was met with silence.

"SID? DIEGO!" He bellowed fearfully.

"We're here!" Diego finally answered. "But we're in trouble."

"Why?" Frank asked.

"See for yourself!" Diego answered bluntly.

As the dust began to settle, it became clear that the gateway they had come through had been blocked in by rubble. Frank cursed quietly under his breath;

"Dammit," Frank spat. "We're trapped!"

Sid stared at the rubble in shock.

"How are we going to get back to the herd now?" He shouted.

Before Diego or Frank could answer him they were cut off by Rudy's ear-splitting roar. They spun round, their backs against the newly formed wall of concrete, steel and ice, and stared in a mingled look of fear and confusion at the scene before them. In front of them, Buck was eagerly running around, keeping Rudy occupied. He weaved his way onto the top of Rudy's head, where he caught a glimpse of the three of them fixed to their spots.

"Don't just stand there, lads!" Buck said breathlessly, holding on as Rudy tried to shake him off. "Think of a way outta this!"

Rudy roared angrily once more as he swung wildly, trying to shake the weasel from off of his head. His tail swerved round, smacking Frank, Sid and Diego squarely in their sides, flinging them far across the complex. Frank bounced several times off of the ground, each fall seemingly harder than the last. He felt sharp pains in his side as he hit something very hard. He slowly sat himself up and took several breaths, feeling burning in his chest every time. He groaned to himself; he reckoned he had cracked several ribs at least. He looked up at the object he had hit, only to have all thoughts of pain be chased away by hope; he had been thrown into a large pickup truck, equipped with a mini-gun on its back. He laughed briefly, only to grimace in the pain that it caused.

"Frank!" Diego said in concern.

Frank looked up at the tiger and the sloth that now stood over him. He immediately focussed on the blood running down the side of Diego's face, and a particularly nasty looking wound across Sid's chest.

"You're both hurt." He stated fuzzily.

"We're no more hurt than you are! C'mon," Diego said as he slid under one of Frank's arms. "Let me help you up, buddy."

Sid scampered over, taking Frank's other arm, and they worked together to haul him up. Frank cried out in pain as they did so, but it became bearable once he was firmly on his feet. Even so, he could still feel a constant dull ache in his side. He grimaced as he stretched out slightly, but he tried his best to ignore it; adrenaline began to pump through his body.

"Both of you get in the car," He groaned. "Diego, get into the back and man the gun."

Both animals got into the places that Frank told them to without argument. Within the car, the same female voice that had warned them of a containment failure was repeating the same statement, over and over again;

_Containment breach detected. All personnel are advised to retreat to a safe distance of one mile. Counter-measures in effect in T-minus two minutes, forty three seconds._

"What's happening in two minutes and forty three seconds?" Sid quizzed.

"I don't know," Frank remarked. "But I really don't want to be around to find out! We have to go now!"

Frank limped into the driver's seat as the computerised voice gave them the same warning.

"Aren't we forgetting something?" Diego growled.

In the distance Frank could hear Buck's cheerful shouting. He shot a sheepish look at Diego as he eased himself out of the car and into the open air. He couldn't help but stare agape at the weasel, who was atop Rudy's back, laughing wildly.

"Is he…_enjoying_ himself?" He muttered incredulously to himself.

Buck grinned gleefully as he jumped and weaved his way through Rudy's repeated swipes and bites, enjoying every adrenaline-soaked second of it. Whilst he had told Frank to hurry up, he knew he didn't mind; it was, after all, fun as far as he was concerned.

But he still kept at least one eye on the human, tiger and sloth; after all, he didn't want to get left behind when they escape, even if he didn't want to admit it.

To his relief, he could see Frank screaming something at him, but he couldn't hear him over the sound of Rudy's irritated roaring.

"What? I can't 'ear you!"

"GET…DOWN…NOW!"

He hopped off of the commanding position he had taken on Rudy's head and slid effortlessly down his tail, landing several metres away from the metal beast. He quickly clambered through the open door and onto the passenger seat. Frank slammed the door shut, and took one last, deep breath; before him Rudy stood, glaring menacingly at the pickup truck that they had taken refuge in.

_Containment breach detected. All personnel are advised to…_

"Oh shut up!" He muttered gruffly at the screen. He slid the gear into first. "Everybody, hold on to something; this might be very, very bumpy."

He took one last deep breath, tightened his grip on the steering wheel, and rammed his foot onto the accelerator pedal. The truck sped out of the alcove in which it had stood, weaving speedily through Rudy's legs. Rudy let out an almighty roar as he began to chase after the car. The ground rumbled and the dinosaur charged towards the seemingly puny truck, every footstep shaking the very earth they drove on. Diego sat in the open bay at the back of the truck, watching slack-jawed as the behemoth drew closer..

"He's gaining on us!" He shouted.

Sid squealed, holding tightly to the chair he was sitting in.

"Diego!" Frank shouted. "Point the gun at Rudy and press the big, red button in the middle!"

"Why?" Diego shouted back.

"Because that's how you use that thing!" Frank winced as his shouting caused a sharp pain in his side.

Buck's ears drooped,

"You're going to _kill _'im?" He said in shock.

"Not kill," Frank corrected. "Hopefully it'll be just enough to scare him off."

Diego firmly grabbed one of the handles with his paw, aiming it at the ground ahead of Rudy.

"So long, Rudy." He growled, slamming his other paw onto the red button. The barrel began to rapidly spin, preparing to unleash a hail of bullets. But something happened that none of them expected. Within the blink of an eye, the complex erupted into flame. Explosion after explosion ripped through the complex and all the surrounding ice-cliffs, turning them to shreds. Rudy shrieked as he was engulfed by the flames. Diego's eyes widened as he saw the fireball rapidly expanding. The thought that it could swallow them as well flashed through his mind; the saber toothed tiger most certainly felt fear.

"Faster, faster, FASTER!" Diego said urgently. "FASTER WOULD BE BETTER!"

"Don't be a backseat driver!" Frank shouted back.

He felt fear surge within him as he saw the entire rear view mirror fill with flames. In a last ditch effort, he rammed his foot to the floor, but it was too late.

Before he even realised what was happening, he had lost control of the car; the truck, by the sheer force of the pressure wave from the explosion, was thrown into the air. To Frank, the car seemed to hover above the ground for an eternity but, when it did finally hit the ground, he hit his head viciously, slumping onto the steering wheel in a semi-conscious daze.

In his last brief moments of consciousness, he could feel the car tumbling violently and Sid, Buck and Diego screaming their lungs out.

As his world turned black, he could feel the car had stopped tumbling, and he just sat there.

In the distance he swore he could still hear one last voice, tethering to the conscious world he was rapidly drifting out of.

_Counter-measures have been deployed. Fort Columbus is no longer in service. Nearest facility is Fort Halstead…_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Manny and the rest of the herd watched in shock as the flames towered higher into the sky. Even from several miles away the smoke from the explosion had begun to block out the morning sun, causing the sky to visibly darken. Manny stood there, fixed to the ground in complete shock at what had just happened.

He could hear Ben and Claire sobbing behind him, but everyone just stayed where they were, silently weeping.

"Frank, Buck, Sid, Diego…" Ellie said, trying to comprehend what she had just seen. "They're…_gone_…?"

"They might still be alive." Eddie said hopefully. Crash shot him an incredulous glance,

"How? That fireball has incinerated that place! There's no way they survived that…"

Manny found it hard to hold back the tears as Crash's words hit home; as far as he could tell, two of his longest standing, and closest, friends had perished in the flames. He found it harder still when his thoughts dwelt on Frank and Buck as well. He reeled as the pains of grief began to set in.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lt. Hudson stared in horror, knowing full well who had been in the base. He felt silent tears dampen the fur around his eyes.

"Lieutenant!"

Quickly wiping the tears away, Hudson spun round to see a beaver, one of his subordinates, running up the hill towards him. Within moments, his face became cool and composed, utterly at odd with the emotional turmoil roiling within him.

"Report, private." He stated coolly. The beaver slowed to a stop, almost keeling over as he tried to catch his breath.

"We just…got a message…" The beaver wheezed.

"_And_? What did the message say? Come on, we haven't got all day!" Hudson snapped impatiently, eager to hide his sorrow with annoyance.

"The other group we have been monitoring - the one with sabres and the humans armed with fire-sticks in it - have just passed the river; they'll be here in about a day." The beaver replied as he continued heaving.

"Thank you private," He muttered. "That will be all."

He turned to look pensively at the herd, mulling over the new information as he did so. He wanted to come across as slightly aloof, detached...and yet all he wanted to do is weep with them.

Slowly, he began to walk towards the herd, unsure what tone to strike. Ellie saw him and furrowed her brow.

"Whatever you want, this is not the time!" She growled angrily, stomping over to him. "The human you arrested yesterday is dead, all right? Leave us alone."

"Yes, I can see that," He said gently. It took all his willpower to hold back the tears. "I came over merely to offer my sincerest condolences for your loss."

Ellie's attitude altered completely. She was no longer angry, just sad.

"Oh…thank you," She mumbled. "It's kind of you to come over here and say that."

"I didn't come over here just to pay my respects I'm afraid," He replied ambivalently. "I've just been informed of something which has left me feeling like I might be bringing you more bad news."

By this point Manny and the rest of the herd had joined Ellie as they listened in to her conversation with the wolf.

"What bad news are you talking about?" Manny asked firmly.

Hudson shot an inquisitive glance up at the mammoth. He waited for several moments before he finally spoke,

"I have been informed by my company that another group, consisting of humans and sabers, has just passed a landmark near the centre of the valley. They will be here by nightfall."

Claire stepped out from behind Ellie, looking intently at the wolf.

"How many humans?" She pressed.

"We don't know."

"Well, do you know what the humans look like, at least?" She asked. "Did they carry guns and wear clothing much like myself and Ben?"

Hudson blinked, suddenly connecting the two facets of information together.

_Wait...the other humans are the rest of the expedition? _His mind reeled. _What's going on here?_

Hudson nodded slowly, hoping they wouldn't see his surprised gaze. Manny and Claire's eyes briefly exchanged glances.

"We shouldn't have let Terry stay alive," Manny grumbled. "We've gotta get out of this valley; we can't just wait here for Terry and Soto to kill us."

"There is another way out," Hudson said gently. "But it's gotten a little harder to pass of late. I can guide you through it, but we have to leave soon…" He sighed, remembering what had just happened.

"By all means, take your time in saying your goodbyes; an extra fifteen minutes can't hurt."

One by one, the whole herd took one last look at the burning ruins of the complex before following the wolf. Claire was the last to leave. Her heart felt broken and she felt numb as reality hit her. She gasped, putting her hands to her face as she broke down into tears once more. She rubbed her eyes dry so that she could look intently at the smouldering scene before her.

She let out an anguished sigh,

"Goodbye, my love," She whispered. "I hope, wherever you are, that you're not in pain, and that you're happy."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Diego groaned; every part of his body ached. For a brief moment he entertained the thought that Manny had actually sat on him whilst he slept, but he quickly dismissed the thought. He sat up slowly, groggily checking himself for wounds and injuries. To his relief there were no additional injuries; besides being fairly badly bruised, he had survived the crash relatively unscathed. He lay back down and shut his eyes, hoping to get some rest.

"Oi! Wake up tiger!" He could feel someone slapping him on the face. "This ain't the time for nappin'!"

He opened his eyes, giving the weasel a scowl.

"Careful Buck, or I might just have myself a little afternoon snack." He growled. Buck smirked, but Diego could see a trace of concern in his eyes.

"That's the spirit lad," Buck said quietly. "Now come on, on yer feet! We have ourselves a problem…"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

End of Chapter 19

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hello everyone!

So, to recap, everything pretty much just exploded (I was channeling the spirit of Michael Bay when writing this chapter, it seems...), and now at least half the herd thinks the other herd is dead...huzzah!

What did ye think of it? Well...button below...let me know...you know what im going to say by now :P

Till chapter 20, adieu everyone!

T


	20. The Day After

**Hello everybody!  
Sorry for the long wait for this chapter! I have been crazy busy; but its here now :)**

**To my german readers:  
****Vielen Dank für das Lesen meine Geschichte! Ich bin froh, daß sie genießen es, auch mit der sprachbarriere! Wenn Sie möchten mich zu senden Sie eine Version dieser Geschichte im Dokument Form verwenden, so dass sie können es übersetzt, ich wäre mehr als glücklich zu tun,  
(Ich entschuldige mich für die Armen Wortlaut dieser - Ich mußte verwenden Sie eine online Übersetzer)**

****

DiegoRedeemedLover: the fact you can picture the scene near the end is fantastic; no better compliment has been rendered to my writing :D (by the way, I really would love to actually be able to talk to you – get a profile! :P)

My thanks to all the others who also reviewed the last chapter, and to Debit13 who has proofread this and helped make it the chapter it is!

Oh, and please read and review – any constructive criticism is appreciated and welcomed :)

**and now, without further adieu…  
**

The valley turned into dazzling shades of gold, pink and red as the sun disappeared behind the cliffs. But no one cared; everyone, in their own way, was still in shock from what had happened earlier that day. Hudson, still guiding them, slowed to a stop, scanning their surroundings. Eventually, he turned round. It was the first time Manny had seen his face since they had begun walking and, to his surprise, he saw confusion – even sorrow – written across his face.

"We'll rest here tonight," He said gently, his gaze slowly turning to Ben and Claire as he spoke. "I'm going to go and find some food for us, could you make a fire?"

They both nodded distractedly. Hudson brief glanced at the rest of the herd before disappearing into the encroaching darkness. Once the fire was made the herd simply collapsed around it in exhaustion, subconsciously leaving enough space for Buck, Sid, Diego and Frank.

Mark sat there, silently staring at the flames. He felt lost, confused, bedraggled. Deep down he felt empty, like his heart had been ripped out, leaving him feeling numb. He looked around at the people who had become his new family, trying hard to look on the bright side of the situation, but his gaze fell upon the four empty spaces by the fire. As Mark sat there, all he could ponder was that the four they had just lost have joined the host of people that he has loved and lost…  
Mark hadn't wanted to curl up into a ball and cry in a long time, but tonight was tempting.  
He quickly stood up and started walking away in the hopes he could get out of earshot before he broke down in tears. Ellie looked up at him in confusion.

"Mark?" She asked. "Where are you going?"

Mark gave her no reply; if anything, he walked away faster.

"Mark!" She called out, her voice tinged with worry. Manny quickly stood up and started walking after him.

"I'll go talk to him," Manny mumbled. Ellie met his gaze with yet more confusion. He sighed deeply,  
"I know what it's like to lose my family." He explained quietly. Ellie nodded gently, suddenly understanding. Manny smiled back, before picking up a speedy pace, hoping to catch the little tiger sooner rather than later.

Eventually, as Manny walked, the forested path opened out into a large plain, overlooking the still-smouldering ruins of the complex in the distance. To his relief, Mark simply sat in the middle of the moonlit field, staring up at the stars. Even from a distance, Manny could see tears on his face as the moon's light gently glinted from them. He look at the little tiger sadly, taking a quiet breath as he did so.

"Hey." He finally said. Mark jerked around, looking fearfully into the dark. As the outline of the mammoth became clear, he slumped.

"Hey." He mumbled back. Manny sat down alongside him, looking gently at him.

"I know what you're going through…" He fumbled softly. Mark looked at him with confusion.

"How?" He asked. "Your family is back there, round the camp-fire!"

"My second family is," Manny replied, his voice tinged with emotion. Mark sat up slightly; he could see tears welling up in the pachyderm's eyes. "My first family was…_taken_…from me," He rubbed the tears away with his trunk. "Believe me, Mark, I know what you're going through, and I want you to know you're not alone."

Mark's lower lip quivered as all the emotions he had pent up inside; all the mourning for his dad, his mum, Diego, Buck, Frank…even Sid…came surging to the surface. He let out a howl of anguish as tears flowed freely from his eyes. He could feel the warmth of a trunk wrap round him as he bawled his eyes out.

"I miss them," He sobbed. "I miss them so much." Manny held the tiger close. He looked into the distance, where there were still glowing embers in the ruined complex. He could feel tears soaking his face.

"It's ok, kid," Manny whispered. "I miss them too."

Mark took a step back as he wiped his eyes. He looked up at the sky, gazing pensively at the many thousands of tiny lights in the sky.

"I still remember the first full day with this herd," Mark mumbled. "How they helped me feel like a real member of this…_family_…"

-x-x- 1 Week ago -x-x-

Mark looked back at Porcupine gorge as it dwindled into the distance. He expected to feel some regret but, to his surprise, all he felt was relief, excitement…  
…and nervousness.  
He tried hard to ignore the questions and worries that began to creep up within him; his new pack struck him as too kind. The only pack he had ever known was Soto's, and in it he was hated and beaten. He looked round the camp at the people he had found himself with; he observed all of their antics, from the possum's game of tag with the baby mammoth to the sloth's cheerful discussion with the human boy about someday creating something he called a 'bonfire'. He sighed as he placed his head tentatively on his paws. Even after the seeming joy of the night before, he didn't know how to fit into the rag-tag bunch he had found himself with; he wasn't even sure if he could.

"Hey kiddo."

Mark turned around sharply; to his surprise, the human man, the weasel and Diego stood there, looking at him.

"Um…h-hey." He stammered. Diego smiled keenly at him,

"You wanna come hunting with us, kid?" Diego asked.

"Hunting?" Mark repeated uncomprehendingly. Diego shot him a curious glance.

"You have been hunting before, right?" Diego enquired cautiously. Mark looked sheepishly at the ground; he suddenly felt very, very ashamed.

"Soto never let me go hunting," Mark stated. "He always used to say that I didn't deserve the honour of hunting for my own food."

Diego sighed, fixing a sympathetic gaze on the little saber.

"There's always a first time for everything," He remarked. "Come on kiddo, we're going hunting."

He had never felt so accepted. Adrenaline began to pump through his body as they ran through the underbrush of the forests. To his right he could see Buck and Frank seemingly glide to a stop amongst the trees. As Mark followed their gazes, his eyes widened in excitement; ahead of them, through the tall grass, he saw several gazelles grazing unsuspectingly. Without even realising it, he had jumped to his feet in eagerness. Within moments he felt a paw gently, but firmly, press him down towards the ground.

"First rule of hunting is to never let your prey know you are watching them," Diego whispered. "That means lying low, looking where you are walking, being conscious of your every move." Mark looked at him apologetically,

"Sorry." He murmured. Diego smiled at him,

"Don't worry, kiddo; a few weeks practice and you'll get the gist of it."

Mark's eyes visibly brightened,

"A few weeks?" He whispered excitedly. "You mean I'll get to come out with you again sometime?"

Diego chuckled quietly,

"I'm hoping you'd choose to come out with us every day, and have the honour of providing food for your…family."

Mark smiled, trying hard not to cry; he had never been shown such respect before. It felt like a warm wave had surged over him, starting to slowly chip away at the years of heartache and pain that Soto had left behind. Frank, Buck and Diego shared a set of glances and paw signals that Mark didn't understand.

"Get ready to charge him," Diego muttered. Frank held up three fingers, then two, then one…  
"NOW!" Diego roared, dashing into the open plain.

Everything was over in a flash; Mark lurched out of the grass at the same time as everyone else, but it was all too fast for him to see what was going on. It had felt like he merely blinked, and now Frank and Diego were hoisting gazelles onto their backs.

"Woah," Mark stammered. "That was all over so…so fast!"

"Has to be," Frank replied as he heaved the carcass onto his shoulders. "Otherwise they'd be gone before we can catch them!"

Mark looked at him with dismay. Frank looked at him in curiosity,

"Cheer up, lad; tonight we feast as kings!" He said proudly.

"But I didn't even do anything!" Mark groaned.

"Don't you worry kiddo," Diego answered cheerfully. "There'll be plenty more times!"

"Besides," Buck chimed in. "After you said you 'adn't ever hunted before, we didn't expect you to do much."

"Then why did you invite me?" Mark asked defensively. Buck grinned kindly,

"Ya see, the three of us like you Tigger," He said earnestly. "And we wanted to get to know you better…"

"That, and teach you to hunt," Diego added. "So that, someday, you can join in properly! You are a member of this herd now, after all."

Mark was taken aback; even now he hadn't expected such kind words. Yet slowly, the reality began to hit home; they wanted and liked him. He had found a family.  
Mark grinned so broadly his face hurt and, as they laughed and joked on their way back to the camp. He could see Claire approaching them in the distance, waving her hand.

"Ah, the triumphant hunters return!" She said playfully. Claire looked down at Mark and smiled. "Sid, Ben and the possums have been looking for you!"

"For me?" Mark replied in genuine surprise. "What for?"

Claire chuckled sweetly, giving him a gentle pat on the head.

"They want to play with you, silly!"

Mark simply grinned; it had turned into the happiest day of his life. He looked eagerly at Diego, who smiled back.

"Go on," He said. "I'll see you at dinner. Don't forget what you learnt today; it'll come in handy tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?" Mark asked.

"Sure," Diego answered, smirking. "Lesson one is good to keep in mind if lesson two is going to be of much use."

"But, but," Mark stammered. "Why do you even want me there? Why have you all been so kind to me?"

Buck, Frank and Diego all gave knowing smiles to each other,

"That's what you do in a herd," Diego replied, smiling as memories came back to him. "You look out for each other."

"And, like it or not Tigger, we're family now!" Buck added, giving him a gentle slap on the back. "And we care for our family."

-x-x-

Mark took a deep breath, trying hard to hold back the tears; such happy moments were painful to consider, given the circumstances. Manny looked at him in surprise,

"I," He started. "I had no idea they meant so much to you, kiddo…"

Mark slumped slightly, as if preparing for a harsh rebuke,

"Yeah, I know; I'm weak and pathetic for caring so much!" He repeated blandly, as if from memory. Manny looked even more perplexed, but his gaze softened,

"Who used to say that to you?" He asked plainly. Mark seemingly deflated.

"Soto did." He said very quietly. Manny sighed, placing his trunk back on the little tiger's shoulders.

"We're _not_ like Soto," He said earnestly. "Buck was right; you're family now. And families look out for each other."

Mark looked up with an eagerly expectant face.

"Really?" He asked hopefully. Manny chuckled,

"Really!"

Mark leant into Manny, who wrapped his trunk around him tightly.

"Thanks." He whispered. Manny smiled,

"No problem."

Diego, still unsteady on his feet, gazed blearily at his surroundings; he could make out distant cliffs in the dying light of day, and he could see smoke drifting up into the sky. He turned slowly round, noting the surging river and steep, wooded slopes around them, though paid more attention to staying standing; his head was spinning.  
He tried to ignore the overwhelming desire to collapse into the sand. He shook his head and peer intently ahead; to his surprise, he spotted the truck, half submerged in water, laying on its side.  
Even to his badly beaten mind, no threats seemed to be apparent.

"I can't see a problem, Buck," He stated hazily. "Well, besides the obvious that is…"

Buck looked dumbfounded,

"Are you pulling my whiskers?" He remarked. He pointed at the truck. "Sid an' Frank are still in that thing!"

"What? What thing?" Diego replied slowly, slurring his words. Buck slumped.  
_There's no time for this_, he thought.

"SID. AND. FRANK," He shouted slowly, as if Diego was deaf. "ARE. STILL. IN. THE. CAR!"

Diego shot him a sharp look.

"They're still in the truck!" He asked. "Why haven't you gotten them out yet?"

"Do I look like a mountain of muscles to you?" Buck replied in exasperation. "They're both unconscious, an' there's no chance of me draggin' Frank out of thereall on me own, and we 'ave to get 'im out before we can even think of getting to Sid!"

Diego looked dubiously at the truck. His vision was beginning to seriously blur, and he could tell that he was slurring his words.  
_You're about to collapse_, he thought acidly.  
He shook his head angrily, chasing away any thoughts that would impede him; he was a saber, and sabers were taught to keep going, even if half beaten to death. He let out an irritated roar before charging forwards and leaping onto the truck. He paused briefly, allowing a sudden dizziness to subside, before reaching through the shattered window. Within moments he dragged Frank, still unconscious, out of the car and onto the shore below.

"I've got Sid out!" He heard Buck say distantly. "….Diego?"

Diego couldn't respond. His vision has blurred drastically, and his head was spinning. His legs gave out on him, and he could feel himself drifting out of consciousness.  
"Diego?" He faintly heard. "DIEGO!"

Buck knelt beside the tiger, shaking him frantically. After a while he stopped, checked to make sure he was still breathing, and slumped back into the shallow waters around him.

"Oh great," He muttered sarcastically. "Wot do I do now?"

Ellie saw them walking towards the camp long before anyone else did. As they drew closer, she could hear Manny and Mark talking avidly together.  
"Welcome back." She said, her weariness barely concealed. She smiled slightly at Mark, ruffling his hair with her trunk, "We were worried about you."

Mark looked sheepishly to the floor,

"Sorry for running off," He mumbled. "I just…"

"No need to apologise," Ellie said gently. "We miss them too," She sighed, frowning at the distant glow of the complex. "I'm going to miss Frank and Buck's pranks …they were the funniest…I could do with a laugh right now…"

Claire sat up, her eyes glazed over as she reminisced,

"Do you remember the time when they picked up Sid's wooden bed and set him afloat on the lake?"

Ellie half smiled, "'Course I remember it." Her eyes widened with as a thought raced through her head. "That's what we should do!"

Manny cocked his head. "You want to throw someone in a lake?" He quizzed. She look at him dully,

"_No_," She replied. "I meant that we should do _this_; share the good times we had with the four of them!"

Everyone exchanged glances; after a moment of uncertainty, everyone began to agree.

"Sounds like a better idea than sitting here and moping," Claire muttered. "Mind if I go first?"

Hudson weaved through the rocky and densely forested terrain with ease, flying through the undergrowth with minimal effort.  
But, deep down, he was far from at ease as he pondered the events that had happened; quite simply, for his point of view, it couldn't have happened…  
…it was impossible. He knew it to be so, and yet the complex went up in flames, taking Frank with it. He wanted to howl, to scream obscenities at the sky above him.  
_This wasn't how it was meant to happen_, rattled through his mind.  
He slowed to a stop, sitting down dejectedly beneath the night sky, pondering all the stories he had been brought up with, the mission he had volunteered for, the seas of cheering faces…

A branch cracked in the distance, crashing to the ground noisily.  
"Ah damnit!" echoed loudly off of the walls. Hudson threw himself onto the ground, slinking his way towards the nearest dark spot, keeping a keen eye towards lip of the crevasse.  
He cursed under his breath as three…no, four…torchlights came into sight. He peered closer, cursing yet again under his breath; he could see the outlines of several sabres.  
His stomach lurched; he had been terribly wrong. Terry had caught up with them.  
As he considered this, one of the sabers slowed to a halt, sniffing at the air eagerly.

"What is it?" one of the humans, a man, asked gruffly. Hudson slid further into the darkness, praying they wouldn't see him. The human that spoke shone his flashlight in the saber's direction.  
"Max?" He asked. The saber sniffed intently.

"Something was here, boss," He muttered. "And recently…smells kinda like a wolf…"

"A wolf?" Another human, this one female, replied. Hudson almost gasped in recognition, but he maintained his forced silence. "I don't remember you mentioning there being a wolf in this herd, Terry." The female voice was tinged with inquisitiveness.

"They have tigers, mammoths and humans," The first human replied. "So why not wolves, Sam?"

_Sam! _Hudson's mind raced. _It really is her!_

"I guess," The woman replied. "But surely any wolves would have helped them when you tried to attack?"

He heard Max snort, "It's not like they needed any help! They hammered us out there!"

"Maybe they joined between now and then?" Sam stated pensively. "After all, they seem pretty open to strange..."

"This is all just speculation!" Terry said forcefully. "And _loud _speculation at that! Keep it down; we don't know who could be listening!"

"Geez, boss," another saber replied. "We were just chattin'."

Terry sighed, taking on a more amenable tone, "I know, I know…I'm sorry. It's been a tough week." He let out another sigh, "Still, soon we will have caught up with them, and this trek will have not been for nothing."

The rest of the pack nodded or grunted in assent. Even in the dark, Sam's sigh was visible,  
"What was the plan we agreed?" She asked.

"S'easy miss," Max replied. "We cut 'em off at the gap! Ain't no way them mammoths or them humans will be able to get away this time, so you'll have plenty of time to do whadever it is you wanna do."

Hudson suddenly felt his heart pounding.  
He took a moment to calm himself down, before slowly creeping away. He stuck to the shadows, looking back every few feet, hoping they didn't see him. To his relief, he made no audible noise and, before too long, was far enough away to begin to sprint as hard as he can. He tried to make sense of what he had just seen, but it only sent his mind reeling.  
_None of this makes sense, _he thought to himself. Mind still racing, he sped through the fields towards the pleasant glow of the herd's fire in the distance.

Manny's sides hurt and he could feel tears in his eyes, but he didn't mind; he hadn't laughed this hard for years. Everyone around the campfire was in stitches as Crash regaled a memory he had of Buck and Frank tormenting Sid. He can finally hear the possum as his own laughter died down,

"…and so they pushed his bed out into the lake!" Crash squealed in amusement. "And poor Sid wakes up, takes a step off of his bed and SPLASH!"

The camp erupts into another bout of raucous laughter as the possum shared his best memory of the recently deceased, as everyone else had beforehand. Though they still felt the loos of Frank, Buck, Sid and Diego, they were at least remembering the good times they had as well.  
Hudson burst out of the darkness, the haggard looking wolf seeming out of place in such a jovial context.  
"Hudson, there ya are!" Manny said congenially. As he scanned him his brow furrowed. "I thought you said you were going out to get food?"

"No time…" Hudson panted. "Terry….the sabers…they're _here_…"

The atmosphere suddenly because tense, even panicked.

"They will be here soon," Hudson stated, regaining his breath. "We have to leave _now_ if we want to stay ahead of them."

Claire stood up, staring intently at the wolf. "How far are they?" She asked matter-of-factly.  
The wolf's gaze locked into hers,  
"Less than five miles."

"How far until this other exit to the valley?" She asked again.

"It's not as far," He said quickly. "Two, maybe three, miles tops."

Manny could almost feel hope overtaking panic as the prevailing mood,

"So we can outrun them?" He asked.  
"Only if we leave right now." Hudson replied. Manny looked at the whole group, who quickly began preparing to leave. To his relief, they were ready to leave within minutes. But relief quickly gave way to weariness; they hadn't slept or eaten in longer than the pachyderm cared to remember, and now they were not just on the move, but running to stay ahead…  
He shook away the weariness, gritted his teeth, and picked up the pace.  
_just three miles_, he thought, _come on Manfred, just…three…more…miles…_

As Hudson passed out of earshot, Terry turned to Marco, peering through the semi-darkness intently.

"Did he buy it?" He asked eagerly. The saber grinned,

"Poor wolf must be tired," He mused. "Otherwise he would have remembered that sabers could hear a leaf drop if we wanted to…"

"Did he run off or not." Terry asked again tersely.

"Yes boss," Max replied apologetically. "They should be running straight into the rest of the pack by first light."

Terry tried hard to conceal his satisfied smirk from Sam, but failed miserably, even in the half light of the torches. She looked nervously at the worn out human beside her.  
"You know we don't have to do this," She said softly. "There are other ways."

Terry looked pensively up at the stars and the full moon.  
"Perhaps," He conceded. "Perhaps…"

It was only when the sky behind them began to grow lighter that Manny realised how late, or even early, it was. Taking a breather, staring at the sky was a welcome reprieve from the night's running and fleeing. He took deep breaths,

"I thought you said it was only 3 miles!" He panted. Hudson shot him a sheepish look,

"I do apologise," He said curtly, weariness creeping into his tone. "I must have misjudged it in the darkness, but we are very close."

"How close?" Crash asked, apparently annoyed. "We've been running all night!"

Hudson looked ahead at the hills before giving the possum a knowing smile,

"Much closer than you think, little possum."  
Any confusion the possums felt were quickly dashed as the herd made its way over another hill. Claire, Ben and Mark slowed to a halt, staring in awe at the improbably sized piece of bark laying before them, almost filling the whole field of vision. Claire gasped,

"That thing is…huge!" She said, barely concealing her excitement. "I would love to see the tree that came from!"

"That thing came from a tree!" Mark exclaimed. "But that looks too big to be from a tre…"

"We can sight see another time!" Manny interrupted sharply. Ben, Claire and Mark looked sheepishly at him before quickly catching up with the others. As he turned back to the entrance before them, he furrowed his brow; the passage wasn't the spacious and comfortable walkway he remembered from years before. As he looked ahead at the darkened chasm filled with jagged icicles, alarm bells began to mentally ring.

"Something's wrong here." Manny said audibly. Hudson turned his head slightly,

"Like I said; it's become somewhat harder to pass through." He stated plainly. Ellie looked wide eyed at the unfamiliar corridor ahead of them,

"What happened here?" She asked.

"The humans blew it up," He said quietly. "Back when they decided to…" He trailed off quickly as a westerly wind blew towards them. He began to growl, lowering himself into an attack position.

"What is it?" Manny quizzed urgently.

"We're not alone," Hudson replied. "They're here."

"I was wond'rin how long it would take you to figure that out."

The whole herd spun round to face the human smiling down at them, leaning against the inner wall of the boat, his gun trained on them. One by one, several sabers and another human crept out from their respective hiding places. Claire looked aghast at the two humans, specifically the smaller, more uncomfortable looking of the two.

"Nigel? I don't believe it," She said bitterly, her eyes fixed on him. "I knew that Charlie was working with Soto, but I thought you were better than that…"

Hudson tried to move, only to have Charlie draw a pistol, pointing it squarely at him.

"No one moves till the boss gets here." He muttered flatly. Manny shot a panicked look at his daughter, before meeting Ellie's equally worried gaze. Manny felt fear surge over him, which rapidly turned into anger.

"You are not having my daughter." He growled.

"What?" Charlie replied, obviously confused. Before he knew what was happening, Manny charged, screaming at the top of his lungs,

"YOU ARE NOT TAKING MY DAUGHTER!"

Charlie quickly holstered his pistol, aimed squarely for the rampaging pachyderm's head, and prepared to squeeze the trigger.

"STOP!"

Everyone froze, Manny included; the voice was neither masculine, nor familiar. Everyone turned around to stare at the hills behind them. There, to Hudson's shock and surprise, stood Sam, with Terry and the other sabers to her side. She smiled sadly at Claire first, before looking at the rest of the herd.

"I'm sorry about the eggheads with the guns," She began. All three men began to complain, only to be silenced by a glare from her. "But we're not actually here to capture, fight, or kill you."

"Who are you?" Ellie asked. The woman smiled,

"My name's Sam," She said kindly. "You _might_ have heard of me; I'm Frank's sister and, believe it or not," She looked sheepish. "We come in peace."

Frank hurt. As he slowly drifted back into consciousness, his entire body began to ache intensely.  
He wanted to lash out at the pain, scream his lungs out, and give anything in earshot a piece of his mind.  
"Unghh." Was all he could manage.

"Easy fellah," He heard in Buck's voice, speaking softly. "You took a nasty hit to the 'ead. 'ow do you feel?"

"likeabushassshitme." He slurred into one, barely distinguishable sound. He felt the weasel pull a blanket across him, before giving him a gentle pat.

"I 'ave no idea wot a bus is, but it doesn't sound pleasant," Buck remarked. "Try to get some sleep mate."

Without a further word, Frank drifted back a the mingled world of dreams and nightmares.

-  
end of chapter 20

**I wanted to point out in the story itself that the 'impossibly sized bark' is the boat from the 2****nd**** movie – but it didn't feel quite right throwing in a piece of geographical trivia given the fact that they were running for their lives :)**

****

anyway, there it is! Please do review this (the button is just below :)) as I want to hear what you guys think; any review from the simple 1 worded review of like to the constructively critical (the latter is admittedly preferred :P) so please – if you have read it please review :D

**till chapter 21,  
peace all y'all **


	21. A Rock and a Hard Place

**Hello everybody!**

****

First off, I am extremely sorry that this chapter has taken so long – all of my friends from across the country have all come home, so I have admittedly spent most of the last couple of months with them instead of with the pc…but it is here!...sort of…

Whereas I've done some two parter chapters before, this one actually is – I had to cut off a good third of this chapter, which is now making up chapter 22…so the good news is that the next chapters is now half done :)

Also, a big thank you to For the Kingdom, who has become my new beta reader, and has helped make this chapter what it is! As always, please read and review – all constructive criticism is welcomed!

**Without further ado…**

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

You come in peace?" Manny spluttered. He could feel anger surge up within him. Slowly, he began to move towards the woman before him. "You've hunted us for months, and then _attacked _us, and have now _cornered_ us. How can you _possibly_ tell me you come in peace."

Manny's tone was icy, even threatening, but he moved back slightly; he could see in the corners of his eyes that the two other humans had raised their guns, pointing squarely at him.

"Believe it or not, _mammoth_, but we do come in peace." Terry replied calmly. Claire came alongside Manny, placing her hand gently on his shoulder. Even through his fur he could feel it tense up;  
_She's just as angry, _he thought.

"If you come in peace, why the guns." She asked flatly. Terry smiled ruefully,

"Do you really think _they_ would listen to us after the last time they encountered this pack?" He asked, making a jerking motion with his head in the direction of the herd. Even though she knew it was unintentional, Terry's superior attitude had incensed Claire.

"_We _would have been willing to listen," she retorted pointedly. "Unlike some, we're not in the business of hunting people. And before you get all high and mighty, Terry, Ben and I are members of this herd _as well_."

Sam raised her hands, as if trying to calm them down.  
"Fine, then listen to us now," She said. "And if you still don't want anything to do with us afterwards, then we'll go."

"You'll just go?" Manny repeated uncomprehendingly. "Won't Soto be mad?" He continued mockingly.

"We don't work for Soto anymore." Nigel piped up.

The whole herd was taken aback. Manny and Claire caught each other's surprised glances.

"Come again?" Was all that Manny could muster.

"We're free, just like you!" One of the sabers shouted out. Manny shook his head in confusion,

"But how…"

"I know you have questions," Sam interrupted. "And we will be happy to answer all your questions. All we ask is for you to hear us out. Once you know our story, you can decide to do whatever you want…please, just hear us out."

Manny eyed the woman in front of him warily. Slowly, he looked both to his left and to his right, at the humans with guns and the sabers, and sighed.  
"We don't have a choice, do we." He stated. He knew it wasn't a question.

"No," Terry replied, half-smiling. "Not really."

Manny huffed, apparently mulling things over.

"Fine," He muttered. "Well, we're here now, so talk."

"Right now?" Nigel remarked. "Wouldn't it be better if we got a fire going first?"

"No," Claire replied. "Manny's right; we're here now, so talk."

The pack exchanged confused glances. Sam looked at Claire with a bemused look on her face,

"Don't you want to wait for Frank?" She asked.

"Yeah, and the tiger, the weasel an' that sloth of yours." Terry added gruffly.

"They're… not coming." Manny stated, his tone forcibly calm. Sam's gaze flickered between the mammoth and Claire; through their icy exteriors she could see the briefest glimpses of pain. She knew her sister-in-law well enough to know that she was hurting….  
_…or she's mourning.  
_Her eyes widened as the thought struck her. She looked firmly at Claire.

"Claire, what happened?" She earnestly enquired. Claire fought back tears, giving Sam a stony expression.

"We'll answer that after you explain to us why we should trust Terry, Charlie and all those sabers that have been hunting us." She answered, her voice beginning to crack with emotion. "No offence Sam, but the last time we saw these guys, they tried to kill us, so we're a little sceptical."  
Sam nodded in understanding. She shot a look at Terry,

"This is your part of the story, dear." She muttered. Terry looked at her oddly.

"Seriously?" He said incredulously. "We're actually doing this?"

Claire glared at him,  
"Yes, you are. I don't trust you Terry; you and your tiger friends have been quite happily trying to turn us into dinner for the past month. So you are either going to tell us why we should ever trust you, or you are going to step aside, and let us go about our business."

Even Claire was surprised by her own fierceness, but it got the point across. Without another word, Terry shouldered his gun and came alongside Sam. He sighed, looking up at the early morning sky.

"Ok then," He started. "Well…after you had let us go from the gorge, and we headed south, as Frank told us to. It was in the afternoon that we ran into a scout, telling us that Soto was coming our way, and that he would meet with us by the morning. So we decided to head back to the gorge and camp, and we waited. Sure enough, Soto and the rest of the pack arrived about mid-morning the next day. Let's just say that Soto wasn't too impressed…"

-x-x-x-x-

"INCOMPETENT FOOLS!" Soto raged. "I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN YOU WOULD BE TOO WEAK! I WOULD HAVE YOU ALL EXECUTED WHERE YOU STAND FOR THIS…"

"I'm sorry, boss," Terry said unenthusiastically.

"You're sorry?" Soto spat. "You were defeated, with loss of life, and ordered to go back _by the traitor's herd themselves_…"

Terry's mind turned wildly, trying to think of something, anything, that could distract Soto from his anger. He pored over his orders, trying to remember what else Soto had said the week before…

"I got rid of the kid." Terry blurted out loud. Soto's mood seemed to changed; he was still angry, but he seemed thoughtful, even a little pleased.

"Julietta's son?" Soto asked.

"If Mark was her son, then yes boss." Terry replied. Soto seemed more pleased by the second,

"Good," He murmured. "He was the last of the traitor's family," He scanned Terry's pack and sneered slightly. "I will decide later what to do with you all. Dismissed."

Terry had never enjoyed being shouted at; he had endured it patiently in the marines, but he was much less willing to undergo an earbashing as he was once willing to, and Soto's rant left him in a foul mood. He waited till the scarred tiger was out of earshot.

"Go die in a hole, Soto." He grumbled under his voice. Max let out a whistle,

"Boy, we sure got off lightly!" He said enthusiastically. Terry nodded distractedly, as he began to scan for Sam.

"Where is she?" He asked, almost as if just asking himself.

"She up in the gorge itself."

Terry spun round, surprised to hear Nigel's voice. The doctor looked haggard, as if he hadn't slept in days.

"You look terrible, Nigel ol' boy." Charlie commented. The doctor shrugged,

"Soto's made us walk for days to catch up with you. That overgrown cat really doesn't trust you, Terry," Weariness underpinned every word he said, but he smiled all the same. "Now hurry up, Terry; she's waiting for you, you know!"

He found her at the very tip of the gorge, leaning against an outcropping of rocks, looking pensively out across the camp below. The area still smelt vaguely of gunpowder. He grinned, flinging his arms wide open.

"Sam!" He cried out. "It's so good to see you up and about!"

She looked at him, managing something like a half smile. "Welcome back." She said mutedly.

He slumped at the half-hearted response. "I was expecting some kind of cold shoulder, given the circumstances, but there's a difference between cold shoulder and locked-in-the-freezer, Sammy." He mumbled, a smile still on his face.

She hugged him, squeezing him tightly. Even though she was small, she threatened to squeeze the air out of him.

"Don't get me wrong, it is good to see you," She replied. "It's just…"

"Just…what?" He strained, finding it hard to breathe. To his relief, she let go of him and leant back onto the outcropping. He resisted the desire to gasp and pant for breath with every ounce of his strength.

"It's just…" She looked at him. "Are you convinced you're on the right side?" Terry didn't respond immediately, but remained stationary, his gaze fixed on the camp below.

"I don't think I have a choice on the matter, Sam." He finally muttered.

"That's a down right lie and you know it," She retorted. "You don't have to work for Soto."

Terry met her gaze. "Soto helped us, has kept us safe, warm and fed. He's done good to us…"

"He told you to leave Claire and Ben to die!" She spluttered. "And then ordered you to hunt Frank down. He is a monster, Terry. He's _evil_."

Terry threw his arms up in exasperation, briefly looking up to the sky as if for strength. He quickly met her gaze, "Oh here we go again!" He exclaimed, his tone becoming irritated, even aggressive, "It's always the same with you isn't it; there's always only two sides as far as you're concerned – Right and Wrong, Good and Evil, God and the devil…"

"Soto let slip his plans whilst you were gone!" She spat. "He's trying to break down anything and anyone that might be able and willing to stop you from becoming his pawn; and, from the way you're responding, it looks like he's succeeding, Terry."

"What dya mean by that!" He growled. She looked sadly at him,

"I mean that he has already forced you to try and kill your sister in law, your nephew, and your brother in law. At this rate it wouldn't be long before you would be willing to kill, say, a doctor, or an ex-British soldier, or maybe even a wife..." Her eyes began to water, but her tone remained resolute. "All because Soto merely _asked_ it of you."

Terry slumped against a nearby rock as he realised he couldn't reply. He knew she was right; he hadn't questioned an order the tiger has given, even when he knew it was wrong. He had become, even in the eyes of his own wife, a stooge of Soto's.  
The last thought cut deep, deeper than he expected.

"Is that what you think of me?" he managed, feeling like his heart has been ripped out. He could feel a hand gently gripping his arm.

"No," She whispered. "I know you're better than that." She looked him earnestly in the eyes. "You're a good man, Terry. Please, for my sake if not for yours, we need to get away from this monster."

"And go where?" He replied bluntly.

"We can join up with Frank." She answered. Terry snorted as he made a gesture that encompassed the entire gorge.

"Just yesterday Frank resoundingly beat me and my pack in this very gorge, and we didn't exactly leave on the best of terms!" He almost growled. "What makes you think he will welcome me with open arms!"

"Because I know Frank!" She replied fiercely. "He's my brother! He won't turn us away, not even _you_ Terry."

Terry knew he couldn't win the argument, so he nodded slightly as if in agreement,  
"Maybe you're right," He mumbled. "But right now, I'm tired and want to rest. If you want me, I'll be back at the camp."

Before Sam could complain, he gave her a kiss on the cheek and briskly walked back down the jagged slopes towards the camp below.

-x-x-x-

"As much fun as hearing about how we beat you is," Manny interrupted. "We're more interested in hearing why we should trust you! How did you get from being Soto's loyal pet to rebel extraordinaire?"

Terry looked at Manny in annoyance,

"I was just getting to that part, mammoth," He growled. "Anyway, where was I…"

-x-x-x-x-

The pack, weary from their exertions, whilst still nursing the wounds given out by the herd – and promptly treated by them – sat wearily around the fire that Terry had started, as Soto had not permitted them to rejoin the pack yet, in light of their recent humiliation. Nobody dared break the pensive silence that had permeated the pack the past few hours, as Soto's rant was still sinking in.

"If this were Frank and the herd we were waiting for there would have bin no shoutin' or fear." One of the sabres stated, breaking the silence.

"You can say that again!" Another added. "I wish Soto was more like _them!_"

Max shot him a glance. "You are out of line, saber." He muttered unconvincingly.

The saber shrugged, "What! I'm merely saying what everyone's thinkin'!" He replied defensively. "An' besides, your tone is suggestin' to me that you agree."

Terry sat in silence, listening absently to the conversation going on around him.  
_Is this what Frank intended? _He pondered as the conversation turned increasingly into a diatribe against Soto. Suddenly, voices started to raise, and Terry forced himself to pay attention,

"…and besides, he's humiliated, ridiculed and even killed the families of those who fail him, and that now includes us! Take that little saber; his only crime was to be simply be _related_ to a traitor, and Soto wanted 'im dead! He's not fit to lead…" The sabre growled.

"You are a _saber_!" Max growled. "Incompetent or not, your first pledge on joining a pack is _loyalty_, you mutinous dog!"

"ENOUGH!" Terry shouted, raising his hand. The sabres backed away from each other, rapidly taking their places around the fire. Terry scanned the whole pack before continuing. It suddenly occurred to him that he saw them in a slightly different light; after all they had been through, he now viewed them as something akin to colleagues…  
…_or fellow conspirators_, a quiet voice in the back of his mind added.

"This is not the time or the place to be having this discussion," He stated quietly. "With Soto nearby, your little debate could get us all killed." He sighed.

"They have a point though."

Everyone around the fireside turned to pay attention to Sam and Nigel as they took up places beside Terry and Charlie. Sam, within seconds of sitting down, leant forward and looked every human and saber in the eye.

"Soto isn't fit to lead, and no bond to someone as evil as that saber should be seen as binding." She stated plainly.

"It's not as easy as that," Max said witheringly. "If we betrayed Soto, we will never be able to join our fellow sabers; we would be a disgrace in the eyes of all our kind."

"Are you trying to say you would rather serve someone who would be just as happy ordering you to kill others as he would in ordering you killed?" Nigel asked softly.

The sabers looked amongst themselves, as if suddenly unsure of how to reply. One by one, they all looked at Max, who had unwittingly become their spokesperson. The saber shifted in his place, as if battling with an uncomfortable notion.

"We've never lived outside of a pack before," He said quietly. "Sabers are always born into a pack, and then live in a pack throughout their lives. We're…" He squirmed, but cleared his throat and spoke all the same. "…we're scared of life without the pack."

"You can still have a pack." Charlie said, surprising everyone. "There's more than enough here to start our own pack."

"But where would we go?" Max asked earnestly. "Where can we go that Soto can't hunt us down? And you know he will."

"We will track the herd that has left here," Sam replied. "The humans in that herd are my brother, sister in law and nephew. They will help us."

Everyone around the fire exploded into excited chatter as the sabers began to argue about the idea. Max, as time wore on, grew visibly irritated.

"Silence!" He commanded. Within moments, everyone fell silent once again. Max's gaze flickered from the scared, yet eager, sabers around him to the suddenly sullen Terry.

"What do you think, boss?" Max asked.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Yes, what do you think, Terry?" Claire asked acidly.

"That it…" He started, yet found himself seemingly tongue-tied. "…this…is a bad idea."

"Then why did you go through with it?" Manny asked bluntly.

Terry slumped,

"Soto kinda decided it for us."

Every pair of eyes in the valley stared intently at Terry, waiting for him to explain his statement. He seemed distant to the point of seeming absent, and it annoyed Manny intensely.

"Well?" he demanded. "What did Soto do?"

Terry seemingly jerked, as if caught off guard. He scanned his own pack slowly before fixing his gaze on the mammoth. He took a long, deep breath,

"Soto tried to kill us." He finally stated.

-x-x-x-x-

Terry, Charlie, Max and the other sabres stood silently in a straight line, their gazes fixed on Soto, who sneered emotionlessly back. Terry scanned his face, hoping to see any sign of what to expect.  
It unnerved him that he couldn't get a read on Soto's emotions in the slightest.

"You have all failed me," The scarred sabre stated. "And, whilst I will spare most of you, some of you will not see the sunset."

Terry felt like he had been punched in the stomach. Out of nowhere he could feel anger rising up inside of him, but he used all of his will and resolve to maintain a neutral expression. The sabres beside him visibly tensed up. Soto grinned cruelly,

"Zeke will select two sabres to kill," He continued casually. "And the human female shall die as well."

Terry felt like he had been punched in the gut, just as all of his pack began to raise their voices. As the cacophony of complaints grew louder and louder, Soto roared,

"BE SILENT!" He commanded. Without any further command, every other sabre moved in closer, and they stayed silent.

Zeke moved eagerly, looking voraciously at the sabres that stood frozen before him. Terry could feel his gut clenching up, his emotions raging as the injustice of the situation became apparent.

"This isn't fair!" He shouted. "I'm the one that failed you, not them! And Sam is innocent! She wasn't even part of the pack!"

Soto grinned menacingly. He could hear the twinge of sentimentality in Terry's voice and couldn't help but chuckle;  
_The human got soft, _he thought to himself, _and has started to care._

"Consider this as incentive to not fail me again." Soto replied caustically. Terry's focus flickered between Zeke and Soto, finding it harder and harder to remain neutral. He looked across at Sam, who looked back, a mixture of panic and fear in her eyes. In that moment time seemed to stand still, and Terry simply looked into the eyes of the woman he loved, the woman he married…  
…the woman Soto had just ordered the execution of._  
_Anger swept through him like wildfire. In two long, forceful steps, he moved in front of Zeke, blocking him from his prey.

"Back away, Zeke." Terry growled. Zeke looked at him with a look of confused amusement. Soto cackled,

"What are you going to do human?" He scoffed.

Terry half smiled,  
"This."

Without a further thought, Terry drew his pistol, removed the safety lock, pointed the gun at Zeke and pulled the trigger.  
The noise ricocheted throughout the valley, causing everyone to flinch. Zeke spasmed briefly, before crumpling onto the floor, letting out his last breath as life drained from his eyes. Terry quickly moved forward, pointing the gun squarely at Soto. A deafening silence briefly gripped the valley as the turn of events began to sink in, but within moments every sabre loyal to Soto howled and prepared to pounce on Terry, but were quickly squared up to by Charlie, Max and all the other sabres in their pack.

"GET BACK!" Charlie ordered, cowing them quickly as he pointed his machine gun at them. Soto stared blankly at the still body of his second in command for a moment before he fixed a hateful gaze on Terry.

"Kill them!" He howled.

Terry chuckled harshly.  
"You know they won't, Soto," Terry said flippantly. "Because they know full well that if they even move a muscle, I will shoot you dead, and carry on shooting them until only _my_ pack remains."

Soto gawped in impotent rage,  
"Your pack? How dare you show such isolence…"

"Just can it will ya?" Terry retorted witheringly.

Soto snarled at him,  
"If death was what you hoped to achieve from this, then you've succeeded! You will pay for this treachery. I am your leader and I expect to be obeyed!"

"I don't think so," Terry said calmly. "An' you're not the boss of me anymore. We're done with you and your pathetic excuse at leadership."

"TREASON!" Soto bellowed. "You will not survive this, human! I have allies stronger than you and your _weapons_. My revenge will be terrible and swi…"

"Again with the whining!" Terry interrupted with exasperation. "I told ya once to can it! Run along now you waste of fur! We will give you one chance to save yourself and your pitiful little band, and one chance only; head back South, and do not follow us, or we will show you no mercy."

Charlie and Max shared a brief glance of confusion, before jointly staring at Terry in disbelief.

"Boss, what are you doing!" Max whispered fiercely. "If you don't kill him now, he will come after us!"

"Yeah, I know," Terry agreed. "But if we don't at least give him the chance, we're no better than he is."

Charlie snorted, "Sir, if you're going to act like some noble rebel, do yourself a favour and stop copying your brother in law word for word."

Terry shot him a dirty look before turning quickly back to Soto. The sabre seemed to verge towards an apoplectic rage, but fear flashed wildly in his eyes. Terry trained the gun flatly at his face and smirked.

"So, what will it be, Soto?" He asked calmly. "Life? Or death. It's your choice."

The sabre, for a brief moment, looked genuinely taken aback and – as far as Terry was concerned – frightened. But his face contorted into a snarl,

"Someday, I will have my revenge, and you will beg for mercy as I have you all skinned," he hissed vehemently. Seconds passed in silence before he let out an almighty, angry roar. "All _loyal_ troops, retreat! Let's leave these dogs alone to rot!"

Without a further word, Soto broke out into a sprint back southwards. One by one, the sabres still loyal to him begrudgingly turned and fled after their leader.  
Terry briefly looked around, meeting every shocked gaze with an equally sheepish smirk.  
Sam, grinning wildly, rushed over to Terry, wrapping him tightly in her arms.

"Thank you, my love," She whispered. "Turns out you're a good man after all!"

He looked down at the lifeless corpse that was once Zeke and grunted.

"I'm not sure about that." He muttered. Max, still in shock, walked towards him slowly,

"So, where do we go now?" The sabre asked.

-x-x-x-x-

"…and so we decided to break Frank's command to us, and come and find you.," Terry finally finished. He quickly straightened up, realising his predicament, and suddenly spoke quickly, as if to justify. "We figured, since we were wanting to join you instead of hunting you, that Frank's orders no longer stood."

The herd met him with a pensive silence as they mulled over what they had heard. Manny looked over at Sam wearily,

"Did it really happen the way he said it did?" He asked bluntly. Sam looked at the mammoth, evidently offended.

"Are you daring to question my husband's honesty!" She exclaimed. Claire grunted in disbelief,

"The last time I saw your husband, he had just pointed a gun at Ben's head and intended on shooting him," She stated. "So yeah, we are questioning it!"

Terry grunted, waving his arm dismissively. "What did I tell ya, Sam!" He muttered. "They're not willing to even hear us out! Some welcoming herd you are!"  
Within seconds both Manny and Terry were arguing over each other, completely oblivious to everyone else, who simply looked on in confusion.

Ellie cocked her head to the sky, as if listening intently.  
"Guys," She muttered, "Can you hear that?"

She looked at the two men arguing with extreme annoyance,  
"Will you shut up!" She shouted, silencing them immediately.

"What?" Manny asked. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Ellie murmured. "I can hear something, but I'm not sure what..."

As everyone listened, they could hear it; a distant rumbling and crashing. Within moments everything around them began to tremble, building up into a fearfully loud cacophony of noise. Manny looked up at the cliffs above them, staring wide-eyed at the slight cracks that now began to appear across its mighty surface.  
Almost as suddenly as it had started, the trembling stopped, leaving an eerie silence in its place.

"Well," Nigel muttered, finally breaking the silence. "That was different!"

Ellie looked at Manny in concern.  
"In all the years that I grew up in this valley, I have never felt anything like that!" She stated. "Something's wrong."

"James, has anything like that happened in the valley recently?" Claire asked.

"No," Hudson replied. "This isn't a known earthquake hotspot."

Manny furrowed his brow as he stared at the foreboding passage before them, "I don't like this. This way out looked dangerous when the ground wasn't shaking, now it just looks deadly!"

Claire shot a look at Hudson,

"James," She said calmly. "If we use this passageway, how long will we take?"

The wolf frowned pensively at the entrance. Even in the early dusk light, he could see it looked even less stable than he realised.  
_It's not safe anymore,_ he noted to himself.

"Too long," He replied. "On a good day it takes five hours."

"There's no time," Manny piped up. "It will be faster if we head for the ruins and pass through that way."

Ellie looked at him with startled disbelief.  
"Please tell me you're joking." she said incredulously. Manny looked at her,

"I'm serious," He said. "It would be safer to go through the ruins and out the valley that way than to risk death in there!"

Ellie paused for a long time, weighing the options in her mind. Eventually, she nodded in agreement, "Fine. Hudson, go scope out the rest of the valley, see if there are any dangers waiting for us."

The wolf nodded and sped off towards the hill. As he reached its summit, and the rest of the valley came into view, he stopped dead, surveying what he saw with consternation.

"I don't think we can get to the base anymore." He shouted back in dismay.

"Why?" Manny called back. Hudson sighed, looking back at the herd with a mixed look of wary resignation,

"Come and see for yourself."

Slowly, ambivalently, everyone walked towards Hudson, but when the rest of the valley came in sight, they froze in their tracks, and simply stared.

"Woah…" The possum twins said in unison, looking on slack jawed. The valley was now scarred with hundreds of chasms, like tiny rivers of black, streaking across the plains as far as their eyes could see, until they reached a much larger ravine where the base and its adjoining cliffs had once been. Even as they stood there, they could see the cracks radiating outwards slowly as more and more of the valley crumbled into the depths below.

"This is not good," Manny muttered. "Not good at all…"

Even before Frank opened his eyes he knew something was wrong.  
The texture of the ground beneath his head was wrong. The smells in the air were wrong.  
Even the feel of the clothes he had on were wrong.  
Slowly, he opened his eyes. Above him flew several Chinook helicopters, blurred through the ashen haze that filled the air. As he eased himself up, he got a good feel of the tarmacked bridge beneath his hands. He could feel shivers up his spine as he looked around slowly at the burning cars, the distant fires streaking two clusters of tall buildings in the distance.  
After a moment of confusion, it all clicked into place; he quickly realised he was standing on the Waterloo bridge, in the very centre of London. Everything he saw brought further chills to his spine; the City of London's few tall towers burning fiercely in the distance, St. Paul's visage hanging like a faint spectre amongst the smoke that filled the streets. But, most chilling of all to Frank, was the memories that came pouring back from a past he tried so hard to forget.

"This is a dream." He said out loud, hopefully.

"Perhaps it is a dream, Frank. Perhaps not."

Frank spun round to find Hudson standing gingerly in the middle of bridge, looking west over the river. Frank stared at him with confusion.

"What are you doing here?" He spluttered. Hudson smiled,

"Well, as you say, you believe this to be a dream, which means I am – as far as you are concerned – as fictitious as the city you find yourself standing in," Hudson looked both amused and pensive, "But if you must assign an intent or a purpose to my being here, then view me as a guide; a fellow traveller if you will, seeking to help you understand your past. Whether I am merely a fabrication of your own psyche, a complicated extension of your own mind and will, or something…more… I shall leave for you to decide."

Frank let out a grunt of non-understanding, but he pursued the query no further. He stood up quickly, taking in his surroundings in one fell swoop. He looked down, studying the floor beneath him.  
"This bridge…" He started. "It shouldn't be here; I remember that it was bombed…"

"…on the very worst day of the Troubles," Hudson finished. "Indeed it was. Much like the rest of this once-great city, this bridge will lay in ruins once this day was out, to await an eventual rebuilding." The thought brought a slightly faint feeling to Frank's stomach.  
_  
This will lay in ruins once this day is out._  
The words stung. As he surveyed the now alien landscape of soaring, burning, towers and ancient buildings bearing scars of recent riots, the reality of the words hit him. He shot the grey wolf a pained, shocked expression.

"You're not seriously saying…" Frank trailed off. As if rumbling into existence, he could now hear the distant roaring of an angry mob behind him. He spun round, facing East; he could still see Big Ben and the houses of Parliament, still standing intact, but he couldn't make out much beyond the ruined rail-bridge.  
But he didn't need to; he could still picture their faces as they charged. He could still sometimes hear their…  
A cacophony of wild firing from a host of rifles blew all other thoughts away. Emotional pain seared through him as all his memories flooded back.

"NO!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, but it was no use; the gunfire echoed mercilessly, ignoring his pleas.

Hudson looked on, seemingly unfazed by what he had seen,

"Do you remember what they…or rather you… did next, Frank?" He asked indifferently.

The trouble was, Frank did. Hudson looked at him and smiled,

"It's time to wake up, Frank," The wolf said firmly. "And remember, when you do wake up, run."

Panicked, he made a snap decision which side of the bridge was closer and broke out into a flat-out sprint, but he was too late; two missiles from a seemingly invisible source flew into the bridge, engulfing it – and everything on it – in flames.  
All Frank could remember as his world faded to black was screaming.

"It's all right Frank! I'm 'ere! No need to be screamin'!" Buck said loudly.

Pain and nausea swept over Frank, like a wave, as he rejoined the waking world. He stopped screaming, only to collapse back onto the floor, whimpering. After several minutes the pain began to die down into a deeply uncomfortable background ache. He leant up slightly, feeling his muscles groan under the strain.  
"Ease up, mate," The weasel said gently. "There's no need to be rushing things! You got 'urt pretty badly in the crash! Tis a miracle you survived in one piece."

"I…don't feel like…I'm in one piece," Frank stuttered. He tried focussing his eyes on Buck, but settled for staring blankly in his direction. "How long…was I out for?"

"Not long," Buck replied. "'bout a day, maybe less."

Frank tried to sigh with relief, only to convulse into a painful coughing fit. It felt like an eternity had passed before he was able to speak again.

"How…is…everyone?" He asked, trying hard not to break into another coughing fit. His ribs ached intensely as dim memories of explosions, dinosaurs and a car crash drifted back into his mind. Buck sat down beside him, looking across the fire beside them.

"Sid got off lightly," Buck muttered. "As did I, but you an' Diego…well, lets just say the two of you won't be 'unting for a while."

Frank looked at him strangely.

"What happened exactly?" He asked, finding the pain slowly subsiding. "My memory is a little hazy."

Buck chuckled sardonically. "That ain't surprisin', mate! You took a nasty 'it to the 'ead you did! As fer what 'appened, well!" He said enthusiastically, leaning back slightly into a more comfortable position. "We 'ad a little encounter with my old friend Rudy…"

"The dinosaur?" Frank quizzed.

"Aye!" Buck replied. "An' then we got in that truck thing of yours, and sped off. And then…ah yes!" He said breezily. "an' then the whole complex erupted into flame, causing the cliffs ta collapse, and sendin' us 'urtling through the air, an' then we landed 'ere!"

Frank's face froze into a look of utter uncomprehension.

"Did you just say the cliffs collapsed?" He asked quietly. Buck nodded,

"Saw it with me own eye, mate. Them cliffs just disappeared into the ground!"

Frank eased upright, resisting his body's urge to curl up in a coughing fit. He scanned the makeshift camp out of curiosity; he could see Sid warming himself beside a fire, and Diego sitting next to him, awake if somewhat distant looking. Frank continued looking, but he couldn't see what he was looking for. He looked at Buck oddly,

"Where's the truck?" He asked. The weasel returned the quizzical look as he made a gesture towards his right, into the blackness beyond.

"It's over there, 'alf under water and spouting some warning gibberish or someother…" He said whimsically.

"Warnings?" Frank repeated. "What kind of warnings?"

Buck looked the human in the eye and shrugged,

"'ow do ya legs feel?" He asked. Frank latched onto the subtext of the query, and answered Buck's question by slowly, arduously, standing up and firmly onto his feet. The weasel grinned,

"Good enough! Now lets 'urry up and get this over an' done with before you suddenly keel over, ay?"

-  
END OF CHAPTER 21

**Hopefully the second half of this chapter will be with you all within the month, but don't hold me to that :P**

****

Please do go right on and click that nice little button that says 'review' below these words, even if it's a one liner of love/hate – its always good to know people are reading this….

**Take care all!**_  
_


	22. Escape From The Meltdown Valley

**Hello everyone!**

I hope you're all well!

First off, my thanks to all of you who read chapter 21, and my even bigger thanks to those of you who reviewed; so my thanks to Yellowraccoon, Kaktusic, DiegoRedeemedLover/Tawny and goldenpuon! You have all, in many ways and shapes, massively shaped this story into the tale it is :).

(P.S. if you wanna join that list; feel free to review :P)

My thanks again to For the Kingdom for helping with this! I do not own Ice Age, but I do own Frank, Claire, Ben, Charlie, Terry, Nigel and Hudson (although, if you want to use them, let me know :))  
Constructive criticism is preferred, but feel free to give a one worded review if you want :)  
Enjoy!  
  
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"What happened here?" Ellie exclaimed.

"Looks like the cliff collapsed." Max replied. Hudson snorted,

"Well done sabre," He said sarcastically. "Thanks to you, we now have a firm grasp of the _obvious_."

"Now's not the time for sarcasm, James." Claire responded, still staring ahead at the destruction.

"Great," Crash muttered. "What do we do now?"

Claire stared in stunned silence at the vast chasm that was growing in the distance. No matter where she looked, both the cliffs and the land were slowly disappearing into the abyss.

"If you have any ideas guys," She mumbled, "Now's the time for them."

No answer came. Claire turned around in confusion, just in time to see Hudson acting exceptionally strangely. She cocked her head in confusion.

"Hudson, what are you doing?"

The wolf seemed oblivious to her query, and kept muttering to himself, "I didn't quite catch that, please repeat."

This wasn't the first time it crossed Claire's mind that Hudson might actually be insane. The wolf grew visibly more agitated.

"For crying out loud!" He shouted in exasperation. "Switch on your walkie-talkies!"

"Why?" Claire asked.

"Just do it!" He growled.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank felt extremely unsteady on his feet but he remained standing, if only by sheer force of will, and even managed to keep up with Buck's quick pace. Though it wasn't far, the effort involved in moving - when every fibre in his body ached all he wanted to do was lie down and sleep - left Frank feeling like he had just sprinted a mile. Eventually, much to Frank's relief, Buck slowed to a stop in the darkness. He could hear the sound of waves gently lapping on an invisible riverbank. After catching his breath, Frank looked up, immediately noticing the break lights shining back at him from an angle that could only mean that the truck was on its side. The light cast an eerie red glow across Buck's face as he looked back casually.

"You doin' alright back there mate?" He asked. Frank didn't answer, and walked past him, his entire attention now focused on the car. He could hear the computer's droning voice drift through the open window, but he couldn't make out the words.

"Damnit," He grumbled. "I can't hear what the computer's saying! And I can't get close enough to the radio to hear any better!" He took several steps back and stared at the truck pensively.

"Well, if we get it the right way up, will you be able to 'ear it then?" Buck said. Frank gave him an incredulous look, even though he knew the weasel couldn't see him.

"Well of course, but…" He began.

"Ba ba ba!" Buck said, cutting him off. "Where there's a will, there's always a way! An' I 'ave us a way!"

Frank looked at him intently. "Alright," He said cautiously. "I'm listening."

"Ok, so this plan involves you an' me climbin' up on top of this thing, and then we rock it back and forth, until its own weight causes it to fall over! 'ow does that sound to ya?"

Frank furrowed his brow, wanting to complain and come up with another plan, but his mind was too fuzzy to think of anything. He grunted quietly,

"Fine," He mumbled. "Let's do this."

-x-x-x-x-

"Alright, Frank?" Buck asked cheerily.

Frank stared at the truck that both he and the weasel now stood on with ambivalence.

"I'm suddenly not so sure this is a good idea." He stated honestly.

"Ah come on, it's a bit of fun!" The weasel replied enthusiastically. "Now grab 'old of somethin' and get ready to start rocking when I say to."

Rather than argue, Frank simply obeyed, taking hold of the car door.

"Ready?" Buck asked.

"About as ready as I'll ever be," Frank remarked.

"Good! Start rolling in three, two, one, ROLL!"

The truck began to rock more and more heavily and Frank became sick to his stomach, yet with each tug, he could begin to feel the truck swinging with a momentum of its own, edging closer and closer to falling back onto its wheels.

"That's good enough!" He heard the weasel cry out. "Hold on tight!"

Frank could feel fear and adrenaline surging through him as the truck crashed onto the ground, throwing both himself and Buck to the ground with a thud, knocking the wind from his lungs. He let out an intense cry of pain. To his annoyance, he could hear Buck laughing.

"That was fun!" The weasel exclaimed. "Let's do that again sometime!"

"Sure," Frank groaned. "Next time I see a cliff with some rocks at the bottom, I'll be sure to throw you off of it!"

"Ah, where's ya sense of fun, Frank?" Buck replied breezily, earning a glare. The human slowly eased himself onto his knees, taking deep, long and painful breaths.

"I think I might have lost it when bloodthirsty sabres started hunting us," Frank panted dryly. "Or maybe when I found myself under arrest. Or perhaps when I nearly got eaten and blown up, all within ten minutes of each other…"

Buck made a dismissive gesture. "Beside's all that, where's ya sense of fun?"

Thoughts of booting the weasel like a football briefly passed through Frank's muddled brain before he let the comment slide. He finally placed his feet back on the floor and stood up straight. Slowly, and excruciatingly, Frank reached for the door handle to the truck, opened it and sat down. To his surprise, the computer was still fully functional, blaring out both its noise and light, though the warning symbol across the screen didn't give Frank much comfort.

"_Warning_," The computer droned. "_Geological sensors in sector fifty-six alpha detect imminent collapse, please evacuate relevant areas_."

"This isn't the same warning," Frank remarked. "This is something entirely new."

All the lightness in Buck's attitude seemingly vanished. "We're in trouble again," He asked soberly, "Ain't we."

"It depends," Frank muttered, "on what, or where, sector fifty six alpha even is. If it was…"

"_Voice recognition confirmed, displaying geographic location of sector fifty-six alpha_."

Both of them stared at the computer in startled surprise but as they stared at the screen, the mood turned from surprise to apprehension. Buck looked at Frank in shock.

"That's the valley!" He exclaimed. Frank's eyes widened in understanding.

"The meltdown valley?" He asked urgently, "As in the valley we were just in?"

"Yes!" The weasel replied. His eyes seemed wide with panic in the faint light. "That means…"

"That means," Frank continued. "That the herd is in trouble and we haven't got any way of contacting them."

Buck looked at him oddly. "You really did take a good knockin', didn't ya!" He remarked.

"Huh?" Was all Frank managed.

Buck, shook his head in amusement, "'course we 'ave a way of contacting 'em!" He said reassuringly.

"We're miles away," Frank stated, "There's no way they can hear us, nor do we have any improvised way of contacting them. There's nothing we can do."

Buck smiled knowingly. "Forgetting something?" He asked, holding up the walkie talkie.

-x-x-x-x-

Everyone looked at Hudson as if he were mad.

"Turn on our walkie talkies?" Claire repeated. "Why? The only ones with that technology are right here!"

"If that's the case, then why am I picking up a signal?" James retorted. Claire looked nonplussed.

"Since when have you had a radio earpiece?" She asked.

"That can wait for another time," Hudson replied bluntly, "For now, just turn them on!"

Everyone looked at each other with confusion for a brief moment before doing as they were told. Claire, on switching hers on and hearing only static, looked across at the wolf.

"See, there's no one el…" she started.

"…can anybody hear me, over…"

Caught off guard, Claire very nearly dropped the walkie talkie, but she gripped it tightly and stared at it in disbelief.

"This is Frank Howard, calling anyone out there who can hear me. Claire, Manny, anybody, can you read me?"

She could hear an excited, even a stunned, gasp erupt behind her. "They're alive!" the possums squealed. "Quick, quick! Answer him!"

Claire drew the device close to her mouth and squeezed. "Frank?" She said tentatively, "Is that you?"

"Claire!" The voice replied, flushed with relief. "Thank God you're ok!"

She broke down into tears as a torrent of emotions too strong for words swept over her.

"Frank, we thought you had died," She said through her tears, "We saw the explosion, we assumed the worst…"

"I'm sorry Claire, but there's no time," Frank interrupted. "Right now, you're all in serious danger."

"Danger?" Manny quizzed, having finally managed to get his walkie talkie working. "What kind of danger?"

"The valley is unstable; the ground beneath you is hollow, and the truck we're in is showing me the data on it. It's saying that the valley was on the brink of collapse even before the explosion."

Everyone looked at the floor with a sudden distrust. Frank continued, "Whatever the humans did here, they royally screwed this valley over."

"If the floor's going to collapse, where do we go?" Claire asked tentatively.

"Get out," Frank responded firmly, "Get to any exit out of the valley and get out now! I'll keep this channel open and try and meet you on the other side. Hurry up, over and out."

Manny took one last glance at the devastated valley before him, and then turned round and started walking.

"Alright, you heard Frank! We've got to get out of here before the whole valley collapses," he said flatly. He turned his gaze to Terry and Sam. "For the time being we should work together, at least until we're all safe."

"WHAT!" Claire, Ellie and the possums all exclaimed in unison.

"But Manny…" Ellie began.

"This is not the time to argue!" Manny interrupted. "Now let's move it before the ground falls out from under our feet!"

x-x-x-x-

Sid sat quietly by the fire, staring pensively into its burning embers. Occasionally he looked across with concern at Diego who remained perfectly still, staring blankly into the distance.

"Still with me, buddy?" Sid asked tentatively.

The tiger blinked, as if startled. He turned slowly and looked at Sid, attempting a smile, but only managing a slightly upturned frown.

"Barely," he slurred, "Could do with that vacation right about now."

Sid smiled, "Me too, pal," He muttered. "And preferably somewhere that doesn't include dinosaurs, balls of fire or near-death situations!"

Diego let out a grunt, "Count me in…" Diego lethargically scanned the camp, before fixing his perplexed gaze on Sid. "Wait…where's Frank and Buck?"

"They just went to the truck." Sid replied.

"…why?" Diego mumbled in confusion.

Sid shrugged. "I don't know, something about a warning…" The sloth said dismissively. "I'm sure it's just the same warning it was giving us before..."

"Sid! SID!"

Sid snapped around at the familiar English accent and watched in bemusement as Buck came flying into the campsite, only to promptly collapse from exhaustion.

"Different…warning…" He wheezed. "Herd…danger…"

Sid rushed to kneel beside Buck, looking at him with as much concern as bewilderment.

"What?" He replied. The weasel took deep breaths, easing up as he did so.

"The warnin' is different," He finally wheezed. "The valley's gonna collapse and the 'erd is in danger!"

Sid stared wide eyed in panic, "What are we gonna do!" He almost squealed. "We have to save them! Wait.." He scanned the dark beyond the campsite. "Where's Frank?"

"He's on 'is way," Buck replied.

-x-x-x-x-

The truck seesawed across the terrain, throwing Frank back and forth as if he were just a toy doll, exacerbating the wounds and injuries he already had. But he didn't care; not about the fact he only had one working headlight, or the fact that his ribs, his head and his extremities ached intensely. As the faint glimmer of the campsite drew nearer, all his tired and battered brain could think about was Claire, Ben and the rest of the herd, now in mortal peril as the valley – much to his consternation – collapsed in on itself.

He slowed the truck to a stop, leaving the lights and the engine running as he got out and walked as fast as he could towards the fire. Sid started walking towards him, his face contorted into thinly disguised panic.

"Frank!" The sloth shouted. "Thank goodness you're here! Buck said the others are…"

"In danger," Frank finished, "Yeah, they are."

"But how!" Sid asked pleadingly. Frank looked briefly beyond the sloth at Buck, who was determinedly moving Diego to the car, albeit very slowly. He sighed.

"The valley's hollow." He answered mutedly.

"Hollow?" Sid repeated in disbelief. "But how is that even…"

"We don't have time for questions," Frank strained, his ribs aching painfully, "I need you to get everyone and anything we can take with us in the truck as quickly as you can."

Sid looked at him with more than a passing, concerned, glance.

"Are you ok, Frank?" He asked softly.

"No," Frank grimaced. "But my injuries can wait; I won't die from them. However, the herd might be a mile underground unless we go and help them. We need to move. Fast."

-x-x-x-x-

Even as he walked purposefully ahead of the group, Manny felt sheepish; he remembered using similar words the last time calamity struck that same valley all those years before. The memories slowed him right down to a near halt, as the thought occurred that this was the second time the valley had tried to kill them.

_Why on earth do we come here! _He asked himself.

"Hey big guy," Ellie said softly. Manny, snapping out of his daydream, turned to her.

"What is it, Ellie?" He asked attentively. Without any more words, she moved her head, motioning for him to look behind her. As his gaze drifted, he could see what was bothering her; Mark, whilst still keeping up, looked distracted, bordering on frightened. He locked his eyes on to hers, and he understood instantly.

_Go talk to him_.

Manny smiled. "You go ahead with Peaches; I'll catch you up."

-x-xx-x-

Mark tried hard to suppress everything he was feeling, and forcing his entire will into walking and keeping up with the herd. But it was getting less and less easy with every step. He wasn't even aware of a giant mammoth coming alongside him, he was so distracted.

"Hey Tiger," Manny said cheerfully. "What's up?"

"Huh?" Mark replied dumbly. "Oh…um…nothin', just catching my breath," He said as breezily as he could.

The mammoth snorted. "Yeah right, and I'm newt!" He held out his trunk as he slowed to a stop, forcing the little tiger to do the same. "Mark, I gotta know, what's up?"

Mark paused. "I'm scared," he said flatly. He paused again before looking Manny earnestly in the eyes. "Everything and everyone has tried to kill me so far…"

"Well, not everything…" Manny corrected.

"Close enough," Mark replied quietly. Manny had to admit that he was impressed at the little tiger's calmness, given what he was saying.  
"And now the ground is falling out from under our feet and we're all going to die," He looked up at Manny with moist eyes. "I don't want to die."

Manny placed his trunk firmly on the little tiger's shoulders.  
"Mark, I know you're scared. I am too, but I need you to be strong," Manny said earnestly, "You're the only sabre in this herd now, and we need you." He paused, a brief and painful memory of Diego flashing through his mind. "Can you do that for me?"

Mark nodded, giving him a very weak smile, "Ok," He muttered. "I'll try."

Manny smiled, "Atta boy! I'm proud of you Mark."

The little tiger's smile turned into a broad, almost stupid, grin.

"Manny!" Hudson shouted in the distance. "Oi! Manny! We have ourselves a problem!"

The pachyderm turned, fixing intently on the wolf, who now stood far ahead.

"What's wrong?" He called back. The wolf looked across at him with a glance that sent shivers down his spine.

"We have less time than we thought," The wolf replied apprehensively. "Much less time."

Both Manny and Mark looked at each other warily before racing to the front of the group. Suddenly, as it came into sight, Manny almost skidded to a halt, staring wide eyed at the vista ahead of him.

"This is bad," Was all he could muster.

Hudson slowly flickered his gaze between him and the sight before him.

"Agreed," he replied quietly.

-x-x-x-x-

Of the four people in the truck, only one took any enjoyment out of the buffeting that the truck, with a damaged suspension, underwent.

"Yeeehaw!" Buck screamed, his body half hanging out of the passenger window, brandishing his knife with his free hand. "I love this thing!"

Frank didn't reply; his eyes were fixed on the ground ahead of him, swerving left and right to avoid the most bumpy and painful regions, whilst being endlessly observant for any rocks that might stop them dead.

"_Fort Columbus in two hundred yards. Warning: base not in use; countermeasures activated_," the monotone voice of the computer droned. Frank slowed the truck, staring ahead in confusion. Buck looked across apprehensively.

"Where's the base?" Buck asked.

"It's already started collapsing," Frank murmured. He slid the walkie talkie out of its dashboard holder and pressed it to his mouth. "Claire, Manny, anyone, can you hear me?"

-x-xx-x-

The rest of the herd caught up with Manny and Hudson and everyone felt the same fear running through their veins. Even as they stood and stared at the small cracks that crisscrossed the ground between the base of their hill and the passage out of the valley, several trees vanished into the ground, taking the earth around them down as well. Manny and Hudson shared a nervous glance.

"Ok," The wolf started. "There's only one thing for this; when I say so, we will make a dash for the passage."

Ellie shot him a horrified look, "Are you out of you mind!" She exclaimed. "How on earth are Peaches and Ben going to keep up?"

"They will have to go on yours and Manny's backs," he replied, "But one way or another, we have to get over there quickly."

Even as he spoke, a section of cliff the size of the pachyderms combined detached from the cliff face, crashing through the ground nearby.

"Ok," Ellie spluttered suddenly, "I'm convinced."

-x-x-x-x-x-

The truck was encased in a deafening silence as every ear was straining to hear any reply.

"Frank to anyone; Claire, Manny, do you read me?" Frank muttered.

It felt like ages had passed when suddenly the noise of collapsing and crashing items filled the truck.

"Frank!" Hudson shouted. "We're a little busy right now!"

The sense of relief was tangible; even Frank could help but smile.

"Hudson, where are you?" Frank asked.

Yet more cacophonic noises followed.

"We're at the meltdown passageway! By the boat!" He almost screamed back.

Sid's eyes lit up, "Hey, I know that place!" He remarked. Both Frank and Buck looked at him with interest. "What?" The sloth enquired defensively.

"Can you direct us?" Frank asked.

-x-x-x-x-

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Manny stared at the cracked and broken surface they prepared to sprint over. As he looked around one last time, he could see fear in everyone's eyes. He even saw it in Terry's, which briefly jolted him into the reality that, somehow, the man he regarded as his family's worst enemy bar Soto, might in fact be just like the rest of them.

_Focus, Manfred._ Even though his own mind was pleading with him, he couldn't help but distract himself with seemingly more pressing concerns, like how solid their little patch of soil felt when compared to the chasm streaked land ahead of them. Even as the pressure of the moment weighed intolerably on everyone else, his attention still wandered, till Hudson's voice boomed and drew him back into a world of chaos.

"Everybody get ready! We run in THREE, TWO, ONE," Even Hudson paused, giving Manny a moment to take one, last, deep breath. "RUN!"

Suddenly, they dashed from the relative safety of their patch of solid ground into the rapidly collapsing plain before them. Rocks, falling from the cliffs above them, crashed beside and behind them, creating a gulf beside them. Everyone, running as fast as they could, jumped left and right, trying desperately to dodge the debris.

Hudson looked up, feeling relief flood through his body. "We're almost in," he shouted gleefully, "We've nearly made it!"

Whilst they still had the entire passageway to traverse, Hudson still felt relief to be on ground that showed no cracks of any kind.

_Of any kind yet,_ his mind corrected acidly.

One by one, they gracelessly crashed through the passageway's entrance and collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath. Sam, winded and exhausted, looked around. She jumped instantly to her feet, scanning the group.

"Where's Terry?" she stated, fear suddenly underpinning her voice.

"Mark isn't here either!" Ellie said urgently. Manny locked worried glances with Hudson before looking out of the passageway...

The penny dropped. Manny, wide eyed at the implication, scrambled to his feet.

"MARK!" he bellowed, pacing back into danger "TERRY!"

-x-x-x-x-

Frank couldn't believe what he was seeing. Even as they were driving up the slope leading to the South-west passage, they overtook the collapsing cliffs and were suddenly given a commanding view of the destruction.

"My word," Buck exclaimed in shock, "What in the blazes happened 'ere?"

From their vantage point they could see almost the entire valley collapsing like dominoes before them. Frank would have gawked, but managed to keep his eyes on the road ahead.

"Umm...guys?" Sid mumbled nervously. "We might have come a bad way..."

Frank shot Sid a perplexed glance in the rear view mirror.

"What is that supposed to..." he trailed off.

Out of the rear window, he could see it: the ground they were driving on was collapsing in their wake.

"We're on top of the cliffs!" Sid cried out in panicked realization.

Without another word, Frank slammed down on the accelerator pedal, lurching the car forward.

-x-x-x-x

Terry could feel his grip slipping. He briefly looked down into the chasm that had opened up beneath him, scanning intently for a ledge, outcrop, _anything_, that could break his fall. All he saw was darkness, with a distant glimmer of light at the bottom.

"Damn," he grumbled. "HELP!" he bellowed, "Can anybody hear me!"

Just then, the branch he had been holding onto for dear life began to break. He looked at the branch apprehensively, only to witness it snapping before his very eyes. Jolting and sliding downwards, he scrambled furiously for any hold he could find, but found none. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and awaited death. There was another jolt, only this was not what he was expecting; he hadn't hit a rock, but had simply stopped falling. He opened his eyes and looked up, staring in completely shocked incomprehension at Mark, who had sunk his claws into Terry's jacket. The little tiger was exerting all of his strength to hold him, and Terry could see that he was slowly slipping himself. Yet Mark managed a slight smile. Terry grinned wildly.

"Boy am I glad to see you!" he exclaimed.

"You can thank me later," Mark grimaced. "For now, helping me will do!"

-x-x-x-x-

"MARK!" Manny shouted over the chaotic din around him. He scanned wildly as he sped through the collapsing surroundings. As he ran past the gargantuan piece of bark that once saved the valley's inhabitants from drowning, the chasm that they very narrowly missed falling into came into view. Manny jerked to a stop, his heart skipping a beat at the sight of Terry holding desperately onto Mark, but they were both still slipping.

In a split second, Manny broke into the closest thing mammoths had to sprinting, and lunged at the little sabre. Even as he was some distance away, he could see his grip slipping, being dragged into the abyss by Terry's weight.

_He's not strong enough, _Manny thought anxiously.

Narrowly dodging a collapsing tree, the pachyderm threw himself onto his belly, sliding speedily across the floor, reaching out as far as he could with his trunk.

In the nick of time, as Mark's foothold finally gave way, he wrapped round him and held him as tightly as he could.

"Manny!" Mark exclaimed in surprise.

"Hold on, kiddo," Manny replied, "This could get bumpy. Terry!"

"Manny?" Terry remarked. "What are you doing here?"

"Shut up and listen," Manny shouted back, "Get as good a grip on Mark as you can!"

"Why?" Terry asked.

"JUST DO IT!" Manny bellowed. Without any more questions, he grabbed Mark's paws with both hands and squeezed tightly.

"Ok," he said ambivalently, "I'm ready. What exactly you planning on do-woooAAAAHHH!"

Even as Terry spoke, Manny, using all the strength he could muster, threw Mark over his head, sending Terry flying with him. Both of them hit the ground hard, winding them completely, but the mammoth knew they couldn't wait for them to recover.

"Move it!" He shouted.

-x-x-x-x-

"Can you see them?" Ellie asked anxiously. Hudson sat by the entrance, staring out intently. Manny had been gone for more than ten minutes, and the wait had begun to prey anxiously on the minds of those waiting. Many thoughts raced through the minds of the group; few of them positive.

Before Hudson turned to shake his head, he saw them appear suddenly from behind the boat. He grinned.

"I see them!" Hudson cried, "They're alive!"

Manny, Mark and Terry wove through the still collapsing valley, dodging rocks and craters and falling trees, narrowly missing being crushed several times, but finally made it back into the passageway, to shouts and cheers and the unbridled relief and joy that they had not been killed.

Once the initial clamour and excitement had died down, Terry looked over at Mark unsurely,

"Why did you do what you did?"

Mark smirked, looking at the floor briefly, as if embarrassed. "Because that's what you do in a family," he said quietly, but firmly, "I know you might not yet be part of the herd, but for now you are family, and we look out for each other."

Terry looked at him dumbfounded. After all the hardship he, let alone the sabres in his pack, put him through, he not only put it behind him, but actively risked his life to save his... Terry used all of his will to maintain his composure.

"Well, erm, thanks." Was all he could muster without his eyes watering. "It's appreciated."

Manny wasn't so composed, and quickly wiped his eyes, hoping no one saw. Ellie, standing beside him, wrapped her trunk around his and chuckled.

"I saw that tough guy," she whispered. He smiled at her, knowing full well his eyes were still watery.

"He's a sweet kid," he whispered back. "And he's..."

"Right," She finished, "They've gotta stay."

Hudson looked quizzically at the floor, straining his ears as he did so. "Can anyone hear that?" he asked. Silence filled the passageway as everyone tried to hear what Hudson was on about.

"I can't hear anything," Terry remarked.

"Precisely," Hudson replied.

Claire latched on, "No crashing, thundering, or collapsing?" she said warily. "Is it over?"

-x-x-x-x-

Frank slowed the truck to a halt, looking intently at the gigantic boat in the plain below them. He looked with consternation at the myriads of crevasses, craters and gaps that pockmarked that part of the valley. As he scanned the horizon, he quickly realised that this was one of the last, if not _the _last, part of the valley still standing.

"Where are they?" Buck asked, "I can't see 'em anywhere."

Frank stepped out of the truck and stretched his legs, looking for any signs of their herd. Buck, picking up the walkie talkie, jumped out and stood alongside him, Sid quickly following suit. Frank took a brief glance at Diego, who lay in the truck asleep.

_Or unconscious, _Frank thought, _Boy, Nigel, I wish you were here!_

"'ello?" Buck muttered into the walkie talkie. "Manny, Claire? Anyone alive down there?"

"Buck!" Claire's voice boomed out of the speaker, "Tell me you're all ok."

"We're alive," he said, briefly flickering his gaze between Frank and Diego. "Though not in the best of shape! We're up on the cliff, looking over the plain with that flippin' mentally sized boat! Where are you lot?"

"We're in the passageway," Claire replied, "James is waving by the entrance."

"James?" Buck replied quizzically. "Who the 'eck is James?"

"Hudson," Frank answered, pointing at the cliff base behind the boat. Sure enough, as he squinted, he could see a grey dire wolf, waving his paw back and forth at the entrance to a dark and gloomy cave.

"Ah, brill!" Buck said joyfully into the walkie talkie, "Now do you lot 'ave any idea 'ow we could get..."

As he spoke, an ear splitting crack rumbled out from the ground beneath them.

"...down." Buck finished distractedly, looking first at the floor, and then at Frank. To his consternation, he saw panic in the human's eyes.

"Everyone back in the truck _now_!" Frank stated urgently. As they piled back into the battered pick-up, he could see the cracks starting to form across the surface of the cliff, as far as he could see from left to right.

"Damn," Frank grumbled, "Hold on to something, guys, this could get bumpy."

-x-x-x-x-

"We might have another problem," Hudson said ambivalently. He looked over at Manny and Terry with barely disguised apprehension. "And it might be high time we start making our way through this passage."

"Why?" Manny asked. "The valley's stopped collapsing. We're safe, aren't we?"

Hudson pointed towards the cliffs opposite them. Intrigued, Manny moved over and had a look, and immediately wished he hadn't.

"I don't know about you, but I would say that looks a little bit like the valley's still collapsing," Hudson retorted sarcastically, "Wouldn't you?"

Even as they stood watching, cracks spread in almost every direction across the face of the cliffs, even spanning across the section where the rest of the herd was, crammed inside the metal beast like the one Manny saw all those months ago. To his surprise, it roared into motion, whizzing along the cliff rapidly. Within moments it slowed, spun round, and made a similar dive in the other direction. This time it halted, moving in neither direction.

"Frank to the herd," The walkie talkie strapped to Manny's trunk whirred into life. "Frank to the herd, over."

"We're here Frank," Manny replied, "What's wrong?"

"We're trapped," Frank answered. "The cracks that have formed are too big for us to cross. There's no direction we can go but down."

Everyone exchanged shocked and worried glances.

"Down?" Manny spluttered. "But, but, but you might die!"

"We don't have any choice!" Frank shouted back. "With some luck we might just land on ground that's solid enough for us to get to that boat before the whole valley collapses."

The last sentence jolted everyone.

"Frank, you can't do that!" Manny almost shrieked, "We don't know what's down there! For all you know you'll all be ki..."

"There's no other way," Frank stated, "Get everyone there to safety Manny, and I'll try to do the same for all of us here. Tell Claire and Ben that I love them very much. Frank, over and out."

-x-x-x-x-

Frank found it hard not to choke up, knowing full well- along with everyone else in the truck - that there was no guarantee whatsoever that they will be alive in ten minutes' time. Sid and Buck, both jovial even at the oddest of times now sat sombrely, looking at the fracturing ground on which they sat with growing resignation. As they sat in their battered truck, waiting for that final crack that would bring the cliff down like an oversized jenga set, they bided their time in near-intolerable silence.

"You got a plan, mate?" Buck asked softly, looking up at the human. Frank didn't answer immediately. He slid the truck into reverse, moving as far back from the edge as they could, stopping just short of the yawning gap that had cut them off from safety, and guaranteed survival. Frank took a deep breath, tightening his grip on the steering wheel.

"I'm going to try and use the collapsing cliff like stepping stones," He murmured, "With any luck we'll make it to the boat."

"And if we don't?" Sid asked mutedly.

Frank considered sugar coating the truth for a split second, even if only to salve his own fears. He decided against it, but turned around and gave Sid a forlorn twitch of the lips; the closest he could get to a smile, given the circumstances.

"We crash into the abyss with no buffer to protect us," He answered plainly. "And if we survive that crash, the truck certainly won't, which means we would promptly find ourselves crushed by the very cliff we're sitting on now."

Almost as soon as he said it, he regretted not going for the sugar coated option. Buck sighed.

"Well," he said. "For what it's worth, 'twas a pleasure knowing all of ya. It was fun," He smiled weakly, letting out a deep sigh. "While it lasted, that is."

"The pleasure is all mine, Buck," Frank replied, "And you never know; there might still be many days..." But he was cut off by what sounded like growling from beneath him.

In no time, the ground rumbled angrily, as loud cracking noises filled the air. Frank slipped the car into gear and tightened his grip,

"Now or never!" he shouted. Slowly, but surely, the cliff began to lurch forwards and downwards. Frank slammed his foot on the accelerator. They sped forwards furiously, jumping over segments that were fracturing apart, giving them the weird sensation of jumping off of a million little hills. Before they knew it, they had reached the last fragments, with still a good hundred feet left from the ground.

"HOLD ON!" Frank bellowed.

As they rode off the last segment of the cliff, Frank hoped...nay, prayed...that the mounted gun that was still in the rear bay of the truck would counterbalance the weight of the engine, lest they hit the floor front first and the engine crushes. To his immense relief, the truck tilted backwards rather than forwards. Before he could express any joy, the rear wheels hit the ground. Hard.

If it wasn't for their seatbelts, they would have hit the roof of the cabin. For a few brief moments, as the truck bounced wildly, the prospect of the truck turning on its side or, worse, ending up on the roof seemed all too real, but the car stabilised with every bounce.

"Hahaaa!" Frank cried out. The moment the front tyres passed over the threshold and onto the boat, joy burst out amongst them.

"We're gonna live!" Sid shrieked for joy, but even Sid's high pitched cries were blotted out by the ensuing cacophony of noise as the thousands of tons of ice, rock and earth that once made up the cliff they had been on crashed into the ground, vanishing through it into the darkness below in what felt like an instant. Frank, exhilarated in the knowledge that they had a chance at living, actually found himself grinning at Buck, who grinned back.

Even Sid, still overjoyed at their continued existence on Earth, seemed gleeful in the face of their continuing adversity.

"Buckle up, boys!" Buck shouted, grinning widely. "This is gonna be fun!"

-x-x-x-x

For the second time that day, an uncomfortable sense of weightlessness hit Frank as the boat broke through the fractured ground, plummeting downwards. Even as they were in freefall, he paid attention to the surroundings the single headlight illuminated the cavernous space they were entering.

"Brace yerselves!" Buck shouted.

The landing was brutal. The suspension, badly damaged from the sheer number of crashes, drops and falls they had put it through, absorbed none of the impact. Sid, Buck and Diego, either through being too large for their seat, or too small, were barely affected by it, but Frank's head jerked forward and would have hit the steering wheel had the airbag not gone off. Disorientated and dizzy, Frank ignored the pain now coursing once more through his body, ripped the airbag so that he could see, and accelerated as fast as the battered car would allow into the cavernous space ahead.

-x-x-x-x

Hudson, leading the way, darted in and out of the winding and narrow passageway, with the rest of the herd following suit. To Manny, the irony of the situation was that the journey through the passageway, which he not so long ago called dangerous, was the safest and fastest part or their exit. Contrary to the wolf's predictions prior to the collapse, they made it out in minutes, not hours.Once safely clear of the entrance they collapsed onto reassuringly uncracked ground beyond the valley, gasping as their bodies recuperated from the exertion of sprinting through such a precarious route.

But even before a minute had passed, Sam, Manny, Claire and James were all trying to reach the others on their walkie talkies. Every attempt they made was met with radio silence. As they kept trying, and trying again, they still received no replies. Resigned to the conclusion that, were they alive, they would have answered, one by one they gave up and slumped by one another in dismayed shock.

"I can't believe they're gone...again." Manny mumbled to himself.

"...ca...he...e?"

Everyone perked up, staring at the nearest walkie talkie to had in surprise. Both Claire and James groaned in realisation.

"Of course," Claire said with immense relief, "It all makes sense now!"

"Eh?" Mark said in confusion. "What makes sense now?"

"There's potentially a valley's worth of rock between us and them," Claire explained. "Meaning the radio signal has a lot to travel through."

"Fran...erd...can you...ead me?" the walkie talkies sounded again.

"Only just," Manny answered. "We can only hear about half of what you're saying!"

"How about now?" Frank replied. For the first time ever, Manny saw the wolf smile.

"Much better!" Hudson said. "Where are you?"

"I think I might be underneath you," Frank stated.

Manny sighed. _Great, _he thought, _more running._

"Before you say it, I don't think this will be collapsing anytime soon," Frank said slowly.

Manny perked up in curiosity, "And what makes you say that?" he asked.

"This section of the tunnel looks undamaged," Frank mumbled. Now everyone had sat up, looking at Manny as the focal point for their confusion.

"A tunnel?" Manny spat. "What do you..."

"It's man made. Human designed," Frank stated, "And, more importantly, it goes to Glacier Pass."

Manny stared nonplussed at the black box that was strapped to his trunk. "But how..."

"This passageway leads to a Fort Halstead," Frank interrupted, "Which, according to the map, is situated in a narrow causeway by a half destroyed volcano. Sid's the one who recognised it as Half Peak. We'll meet you there. We're all looking forward to being one big happy herd again!"

-x-x-x-x-

"Believe me, you're not the only one! We've missed you guys." Manny's voice chirped. Frank smiled; for the first time in over a week, he felt at ease - even though his body was near to collapsing.

"How long do you reckon it'll take you to get to Glacier Pass?" Frank asked.

"From here?" Manny replied pensively, "I'd say five, maybe six days."

"Race you there," Frank said cheekily.

"No fair!" Claire's voice, full of mirth, blurted out of the speaker. "You have a truck and a straight road!"

Frank grinned, "Guess we win then!" He paused briefly, trying to find the right words to say in his battered, addled brain. "I've missed you Claire. I miss you and Ben so much."

"We've missed you too. Don't worry; we'll be a family again soon enough," Claire replied softly.

"And not a moment too soon," Frank said gently, "Anyways, I'd better be off- both myself and Diego have been battered, and I'm willing to bet there's a medical facility at this Fort Halstead."

"Be careful," Claire said earnestly.

"Will be. Frank over and out."

Frank slipped the walkie talkie into his pocket before easing himself slowly back into the driver's seat, waiting a few moments for the pain of his movements to subside before shutting the door. He looked ahead at the tunnel stretching on for miles and lit only by the flickering lights that went along the edges of the ceiling.

"How's Diego?" He asked aloud, to no one in particular.

"He's breathing," Sid remarked, "But not much else. He's in a bad way, Frank."

"As are you, by the looks of it, mate," Buck replied, staring directly at him.

Frank half smiled. "Well," he said, "Let's hope we get to Fort Halstead before I pass out then, shall we?"

-x-x-x-x-  
END OF CHAPTER 22  
-x-x-x-x-

**Please review!  
I have chapter 23 written up so, if you have any wonderfully insightful concrit you wanna give, please give it soon! :)**

Take care all!  
T


	23. The Tunnel

**So you wait over a month for a chapter, and suddenly two come along in almost the same week! :P**

Hello everyone! First off, a big shoutout to thatsonehappychick and goddess on a highway, who have started catching up on chapters and reviews big time; thanks so much for reviewing!

Similarly yellowraccoon, kaktusic, Tawny/DL+R and goldenpuon for the rather intensely glowing reviews for chapter 22! Sadly, to those interested in why the truck is still running; I will make sure I mention it before this story's out! I tried to find a place in this chapter where it would fit nicely and not sound forced, but I couldn't find one, regardless of who asked, where and why…it kept sounding forced, but I will definitely put it into a later chapter!

As always, please read and _**review**_**; all reviews barring flames are welcomed! Concrit especially welcome!**

Anyways, enjoy :)  
  
-x-x-x-x-x-x-

An hour had passed since their narrow escape, but already Frank wished for something -_anything _- to break the endless monotony they had found themselves in. Travelling at a steady thirty miles an hour through an infuriatingly straight tunnel that was badly lit by the infinite strips of flickering lights on the ceiling was not his idea of fun.

And it was painful. Literally, gallingly painful. Through all the catastrophes of the last few days, he hadn't had any real time to ponder the real extent of his injuries. Now that he had, he wished earnestly for a distraction; every cracked rib, battered organ and damaged piece of tissue screamed for his immediate attention in what felt like a symphony of pain. In fairness, it kept him from pondering the monotony of the road. He smiled sardonically at the thought.

"Are we there yet?" Sid groaned.

Frank let out a sigh, "No," He said in a flat, bored tone. "We're not there yet."

Buck grunted, "If we ever get there, that is."

"We'll get there soon," Frank said, more out of hope than fact. "Or we'll all lose our minds soon." He added quietly.

Yet another hour passed, and Frank's condition was only getting worse. With every passing minute, his vision became blurrier and blurrier. Eventually deciding that even in a straight line he may well crash, he slowed the truck to a halt. Sid eagerly popped his head between the two front seats.

"Does this mean we're there?" He asked hopefully.

"No," Frank said slowly. "We have another hour, maybe two, depending on our speed."

"Then why 'ave we stopped, mate?" Buck enquired. Frank paused, taking a few deep breaths.

"Because I can no longer see the road properly," He stated. "If I keep driving, chances are we'll crash into a wall sooner rather than later."

Sid looked both panicked and nonplussed. "Well, if you're not able to drive, then who can?" He asked. Frank's gaze flickered between him and Buck, smiling slightly as he did so. Buck started chuckling. Sid, not comprehending, just stared in confusion.

"What's he all excited about?" Sid enquired. Frank and Buck's smiles grew a little wider.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The morning sun rose over some distant cliffs, bathing the plains the herd now rested in with light. The unspoken consensus was that they would rest for a day, to make up for the lack of food, sleep and other essentials of their daily lives that had been almost completely ignored the past few days. Manny looked around the camp they had begun to set up, and he had to admit that he was impressed; even so soon after being enemies, he now saw Claire, Hudson and Sam talking and laughing. As he looked further still, he could see Terry, Max and the sabers helping Mark set up a shelter. Even Charlie and Nigel were having a spirited discussion with the possums about the merits of the two marsupials having a bath. He looked around at this odd bunch and smiled to himself. Yet the thing he couldn't shake was that, when these two groups last camped in the same area, back in Porcupine Gorge, there were two camps. Today, there was unmistakeably only the one, and this warmed Manny somehow. His gaze returned to the little saber. He knew, deep down, that this might not have happened had it not been for his reasons, so simply stated back in the passageway, for saving Terry. He had never felt as proud to be a member of this oddest of herds as he did at that moment.

"Crazy day, huh?"

Manny looked next to him in surprise. Ellie stood there, looking at him with a glowing smile. He chuckled slightly,

"You could say that again!" he exclaimed. "But it wasn't our escape that I was thinking about."

"Oh?" She enquired, smiling a little more broadly. "And what were you thinking about."

"This," Manny said, giving a sweep of his trunk. "How two groups that just last night were at each other's throats could now be..."

"A herd and a family?" she said insinuatingly, her smile now almost bursting into a grin.

He smirked, "We'll, yeah." He answered. Ellie chuckled, leaning into her husband gently.

"I guess we have a lot to thank Mark for, then! She said, almost playfully. Manny hugged her closely.

"We really do," he mumbled. As his thoughts wandered, he sighed. "I only wish Diego, Sid and the others were here too."

"They'll be waiting for us at Glacier Pass," Ellie said reassuringly. "We'll be a whole herd again soon enough."

"I wonder how they're doing?" He asked pensively.

"I'm sure they're doing fine!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Even though Frank had explained all the relevant details, Sid sat down in the driver seat with a feeling of unmitigated panic. He warily placed his hands on the steering wheel, glancing ahead at the tunnel nervously, before looking at Frank, who now sat in the passenger seat.

"I really don't think this is a good idea!" He said anxiously. "I've never even driven this thing - or any other thing - ever before!"

"Just go slow, and I'm sure you'll do fine," Frank said, slurring ever so slightly. "Now get it into gear, like I showed you, and gently push your foot onto the accelerator pedal."

With his heart pounding in his chest, Sid placed his palm onto the gear, put his foot down on the clutch, and did as he was shown. With his other foot, he then gently pushed onto the accelerator pedal. The truck moved forward slowly, but it was moving all the same. Sid, too nervous to take his eyes off of the road ahead of him, still felt extremely pleased with himself.

Frank smiled, "Well done Sid," He said calmly, "You have passed the first driving test in the Ice Age."

Sid looked at him in a panic, "First?" He exclaimed. "You mean there's more?"

Frank let out an amused grunt, "Yup!" He said nonchalantly. He tilted his seat backwards and shuffled into a more comfortable position. "The second is keeping us in a straight line...oh yeah, and please try and not kill us by hitting a wall."

Suddenly all the exuberance of getting the truck moving departed Sid, and was replaced by a now all-too-familiar sense of fear.

"Thanks for the reassuring words," He said sarcastically. "Now I feel _really _confidant!"

Buck grinned. He heard the sarcasm, but he just couldn't help himself. "Well! Then you won't mind me doin' this!"

Before Sid could enquire what the weasel meant, Buck had slipped past him and into the footwell below. Suddenly, the vehicle lurched forward, pushing everyone deep into their seats.

"AAAAHHHH!" Sid screamed, clutching the steering wheel for dear life. Buck, now in control of the accelerator peddle, simply sat on it, grinning wildly. As the tunnel turned to a blur, Sid focussed all of his energy on keeping the wheel steady - even though the truck was so badly damaged that it naturally veered to the right. The truck swerved, left and right, missing the walls narrowly.

"Buck, slow down!" Sid squealed. "This thing is really hard to control!"

"The faster we get there, the sooner we can get Frank n' Diego patched up!" The weasel called back.

Sid screamed a string of unintelligible words. Frank, finally realizing what was going on, sat up.

"BUCK!" He shouted. "I'd rather take our time and get there alive than not get there at all! Get off the pedal!"

Buck sighed, "Suit yourself, spoilsport!" He answered witheringly, begrudgingly getting off of the pedal. He slid out of the footwell, taking position on the seat behind Frank and sulked. Sid, relieved to be back in full control, slowed the truck back to a speed he could handle, and focussed himself for what he hoped was a really short journey.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The sun hung placidly in the noon sky, and the herd settled down for the first real food they had eaten in days. Much to the sabers' - and Hudson's - relief, there was a healthy population of prey in the area, and there was an extensive amount of greenery for everyone else to consume. There was no talking over the meal, as everyone ate so voraciously that not much space was left for idle conversation. Once every animal had had their fill of food, they rested, and simply fell asleep, so exhausted were they from the last few days.

As Manny woke up, he was surprised to find that the sun had already set and the day had simply vanished into night. Still, as he stood up and stretched, he knew it was worth it; he felt rested and full. If he were honest, the sheer inactivity of the day was a welcome change from the chaotic and crazed days they had had previously. He strolled carefully away from where he had lain in order to not wake Ellie or Peaches, and walked towards the centre of their camp. He saw Hudson warming himself beside an inviting fire, and promptly joined him. The wolf looked up and smiled.

"Evening," He said quietly. "How did you sleep?"

Manny smirked, "Like I haven't slept for days," He replied honestly. "How late is it?"

Hudson watched as the mammoth plonked himself gracelessly, but silently, by the fire before he answered, "Well, judging by the sky, I'd say it's at least midnight, give or take a couple of hours."

Manny chuckled, "Losing a day for this was worth it!"

Silence fell between them. As Manny sat there, he realized he knew next to nothing about the wolf who had somehow slipped into their oddball herd. He shuffled uncomfortably, trying to find the words to say.

"So listen," He said stupidly. "I was wondering how..."

"...I came to be in the valley, and thus a part of your herd?" Hudson finished his sentence for him, giving him a knowing smile. Manny looked at him in surprise.

"How did you know that was what I was gonna ask?" He quizzed. The wolf shrugged.

"You know nothing about me and, if I were in your shoes, I'd be asking the exact same question."

_Shoes?_ Manny repeated in his mind, confused as to what they were. He decided to let the matter drop, pursuing instead with his original question.

"Well?" He asked expectantly.

Hudson looked pensively into the fire, as if collecting his thoughts.

"I arrived in the valley about six years ago," He began. "I kept my head down and lived a quiet life, until the flood of course. Like everyone else, barring your herd of course, I got to the boat and survived it that way. After the flood, the valley became a tourist hotspot, and I found myself selling maps of the valley that highlighted most of the places of importance with regard to the flood itself and- more precisely -your quite frankly famous herd's travels across it."

Manny shuffled again uncomfortably. He knew from hearsay and happenstance that the uniqueness of his herd had earned them a form of celebrity, but never before had someone said it so plainly. It struck him as surreal that a wolf they only met a week ago knew of them years before they ever met.

"What happened next?" Manny asked. Hudson seemingly froze, staring ruefully into the fire. He could see anger, pain, even sorrow in the wolf's eyes.

"Then the humans came," He said stonily. "They arrived about a year after the flood. From the very first, they caused destruction and chaos. We tried to communicate with them, but where we met them with words they, after a while, met us with guns. As they started building that complex of theirs, we started organizing ourselves and fighting back. At first we did well, and managed to briefly halt their construction of Fort Columbus, as they called it, but then they retaliated with a vengeance. Just a year ago, the entire surviving population was cornered in the northern half of the valley, and we were being pushed back with every day. They cut off all our possible points of retreat, and we genuinely thought we were going to die. But then...just as they had finished their base...they just disappeared, as if into thin air.

"No one genuinely believed they were gone - we thought it was some kind of trick - so it was agreed by the leaders of all the animal groups to send myself and a group made up of any animals still strong enough to fight. We actually went into the base, only to find no one there. It was completely deserted, and we couldn't find a single human, alive or otherwise," He lay down, still looking intermittently between Manny and the fire. "But that didn't matter one bit to the inhabitants; the moment they realised they could escape, they did. Everyone from mammoths to possums upped and left, leaving just my pack of twenty three animals to keep an eye on the place, in case the humans should return, so that we could raise the alarm for those living anywhere near the valley to run. And then, after many months, we encountered you and your herd."

Silence fell yet again, only this time it was more because Manny was digesting what he had heard. His mind turned back to all the animals he knew when he was a resident of the valley.

Even though he was by the fire, he felt cold at the thought that they all had to go through such a horrendous situation. How many, he wondered, of those he knew had lost loved ones, or even their own lives? How many had suffered just because they were in the wrong place, at the wrong time? He shuddered at the thought, and quickly turned his mind over to what Hudson said about the base, which instinctively linked in his mind to what had happened to them just the day before, and to the lingering questions he had about Frank's involvement in all this.

Manny looked at him quizzically, "Do you reckon the human's disappearance had anything to do with what just happened?" He asked, pointing his trunk in the direction of the remnant of the cliffs behind them. Hudson looked intrigued,

"Considering the others are travelling in a human tunnel right now, I'd reckon so I suppose," He mused. The wolf shot Manny a satisfied smile, "For almost a year I've been trying to figure out why they left. Now I know."

Manny nodded absentmindedly, before focusing firmly on the wolf again. He knew he couldn't hold back his underlying thoughts anymore, and he knew he didn't want to. He _had _to know_._

"Does Frank have anything to do with that happened here?" He blurted. "I mean, you seemed convinced of his guilt when you first cornered us."

Hudson's smile vanished, replaced by a sombre, almost distant look. "He's not got a part in this," He said bluntly. "At least not _directly._"

Manny shot him an odd look, "What's that supposed to mean?" He retorted. "You yourself called him the man who killed time!"

Any trace of mirth and warmth disappeared from the wolf's face; he became defensive, even aggressive. Manny, whilst managing not to show it, immediately regretted asking the question.

"I was quoting the humans we encountered from the base," Hudson replied fiercely. "Frank is not responsible for this, of that I can vouch for! I know deep in my heart of hearts that he hasn't done this."

"How?" Manny retorted bluntly. "How can you be so certain?"

Hudson looked at him with a firm, but almost vulnerable, gaze. Any aggression drained from him, leaving Manny a little more at ease.

"I can't tell you, because I honestly don't know at this point in time," The wolf said sincerely. "But please trust me on this, Manny; Frank is not guilty of this."

Manny scanned his features intently, and realised he was telling the truth. He let out an disappointed, even an aggravated, sigh. "Ok," He muttered quietly. "You helped to save us from the valley, so the least I can do is trust you on this."

Hudson nodded in appreciation. "Thank you, Manny." He said.

The mammoth smiled slightly, "No problem."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

An hour had passed and, to Sid's relief, he saw an end to the tunnel in sight. He looked briefly around the truck, only to find he was the only one still awake. He let out an annoyed huff,

"Oh great," He moaned. "Why am I the only one who doesn't get to sleep?"

He suddenly had an idea. His lips curled up into a scheming smile,

_This'll show 'em for all those mornings they threw me into a lake, _he thought, taking great pleasure in it.

Without thinking any further, he slammed his foot on the brake, throwing everyone forward.

"What in the blazes?" Buck cried out, his entire body slamming into the back of Frank's seat.

Sid feigned innocence, "Oh my, I'm so sorry for waking you guys!" He said sarcastically. "Guess I braked a little too hard, huh?"

Frank sat up, rubbing his aching head. "There's a difference between braking and an emergency stop, Sid," He mumbled. As he looked up, he grunted in surprise.

"Well, I'll be," He remarked. "We've made it!"

Buck looked ahead in curiosity, "And 'ow 'ave you fathomed that, mate?" He asked. "All I see is some cage looking thing."

"It's a lift," Frank explained. "To get vehicles from the surface down here, and vice versa."

Buck nodded, still confused, "Great! 'ow do we use it?"

As Sid moved the truck the last few feet, into the lift, Frank got out and activated the controls, hoping they were still functioning. To his relief, the machinery shuddered into life, and they began ascending, albeit slowly. As they approached the surface, he drew his pistol from a holster on his belt. Even in his battered, bruised and hazy state, Frank wasn't taking his chances.

The light was almost blinding after so many hours of darkness. As their eyes adjusted, Buck and Sid got a good look of Frank for the first time in several hours. They exchanged worried glances; the human was sweating and he looked flushed and exhausted. He didn't look well in the slightest.

Meanwhile, a sense of deja vu flowed through Frank, along with dread; slowly, he could make out a base not too dissimilar in appearance from the one they had escaped from just a day and a half ago.

"Sid, you stay here with Diego," Frank said firmly. "Buck and I will check out the base, and make sure it's safe."

Frank took one step forward, only to crumple in agony, hitting the side of the truck hard. Sid jumped out of the car, coming immediately to his side,

"Frank, I really don't think you should. I'll go with Buck." Sid said. Frank scrabbled onto his feet, exerting whatever energy he had left to appear stable.

"We're not having a vote on this," He growled. "Buck, you coming?"

Sid looked like he wanted to complain, but instead he nodded. Frank shot one glance at Buck, and they left.

The base was eerily silent, but something was different, something that set Frank on edge. Whereas the other complex they had been in not so long ago showed no reasons why it was abandoned, this one did; bullet holes, blackened surfaces, occasional craters and even the odd skeleton, still wrapped in faded and weathered cloth, were everywhere to be seen. Buck looked around, before gazing up at Frank with a quizzical look.

"What 'append 'ere?" He asked earnestly.

"I don't know," Frank muttered. "But I reckon, if there was any danger here, it destroyed itself long ago. Come on, let's get Diego to the infirmary."

The human turned on his heels and began limping back to the lift, swaying left and right as he did so.

"And yerself mate," Buck added. "You're in quite a state!"

"I don't need you reminding me!" Frank almost shouted. He slowed to a stop, taking a deep breath, "I'm sorry," He said quietly. "Its just the pain is really getting at me."

Buck placed a hand on Frank gently and smiled slightly, "It's alright, mate," He said softly. "I know it must be painful. Come on, let's get you fixed up, ay?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

They barely managed to get Diego, in a much battered and vacant state than Frank, to the infirmary before all of their combined strengths failed. As they entered the medical facility, Frank felt like he had stepped into something out of science fiction; everything was clean, brightly lit, and more advanced than anything he had seen before.

"Whoa." He said under his breath. Buck looked nonplussed,

"'ow do we use any of this stuff?" He asked.

"If the truck is anything to go by," Frank mused. "Then this should be at least be partly, if not completely, automated."

Buck looked even more bemused,

"Automated? Wot the 'eck is that?"

Frank paused in thought,  
"The truck overheard us talking about sector fifty six alpha, didn't it." He asked plainly.

"Yes, it did," Buck replied. "But 'ow does that help us in the 'ere an' now?"

Frank smirked, but it rapidly turned into a grimace as pain shot through his ribs.

"Observe," He murmured. "Computer, are you there?"

"_Welcome to the medical bay. I am sorry, but there are currently no attendant physicians signed in." _A soft-spoken female voice said, catching both Sid and Buck completely off guard.Frank clutched his side in pain.

"Do you have any automated facilities?" He asked, staring at the ceiling; he didn't know where he was supposed to look when speaking to the computer with no visible point of contact.

"_Affirmative_." The computer toned.

"Can we have two beds please?" Frank asked firmly. All of them stared in near-awe as two beds slid out of the wall near to them.

"Blimey!" Buck exclaimed.

Frank, ignoring the weasel, immediately started to drag Diego towards the beds. Pain shot up his leg as he did so. As he looked up, he could still see Buck and Sid staring in awe. It annoyed him intensely; he knew his irritation was at the pain, but he didn't care anymore.

"When you're quite finished with your sightseeing, maybe you could help me get Diego onto the damn bed?" Frank said in annoyance. Both Sid and Buck could see that Frank was in agony, and his lopsided gait showed he was in a lot of it. Thinking better of commenting on Frank's tone, the two of them helped him haul the still-unconscious saber onto the nearest bed. The computer chirped wildly.

"_Non-human physiology detected." _The female voice said calmly.

"Surely you have a bloody veterinary database in your damned circuits?" Frank shouted angrily. The pain was driving him insane.

"_Affirmative." _ The computer responded placidly, irking Frank even further.

"THEN USE THEM YOU MINDLESS AUTOMATON!" He screeched. With that, the computers around them made still more sounds, before the bed disappeared back into the wall, being replaced by banks of screens showing almost limitless data on Diego. Frank's pain, and his anger, subsided a little; it felt good to have finally found something he could unleash his fury at. He limped up to the wall, looking at all the readouts intently.

"Diego's in a worse shape than we thought." He murmured, almost to himself.

Sid perked up in worry,

"How is he?" He asked urgently. "Is he going to be ok?"

Frank took a deep, painful breath.

"He has a severe concussion," He stated. "Three broken ribs, most of the rest cracked. A punctured lung and minor internal bleeding." He looked up at the ceiling again. "Computer, how long before he has recovered?"

_"A minimum of seventy two hours will be required." _The voice replied.

"Three days?" Buck spluttered. "Wot are we supposed to do for three days?"

Frank winced as he edged towards his own bed.

"You mean what are _you two _supposed to do for three days," He said gruffly as he shuffled himself onto his own bed. He lay down onto the comfortable mattress and pillow, breathing a pained sigh of relief. "Computer, what's my prognosis?"

_"Five cracked ribs, a concussion, a cracked femur and internal bleeding detected. Fever also detected. Recommended recovery time, one hundred and twenty hours." _

"Can you do it in seventy two?" Frank asked pointedly.

_"Affirmative." _The computer chirped.

Frank looked over at the sloth and the weasel, both evidently dismayed at the length of the times stated. He smirked. "See you in three days," He said. He nestled himself into the bed. "Computer, begin procedure."

With that, Frank's bed disappeared into the wall, replaced with the same wall of diagnostic information. Buck and Sid stood awkwardly in the room, suddenly aware of the silence.

"So," Sid said, stretching out the word. "What do we do now?"

Buck patted his belly, whilst looking deep in thought.

"I dunno about you, mate, but I'm 'ungry!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

During the course of the night, Manny and Hudson were joined by everyone else. The centre of the camp, a haven of peace just hours before, was now alive with chatter, laughter and inevitable questions that follow after two groups become one. Eventually, the subject of Soto cropped up, with everyone telling their horror stories.

Mark remained relatively quiet during the discussions; although he had stories of his own, he didn't want to tell them; memories of his mother, and the hardships they both had to face were just too much for him to face at once. But he had questions of his own; something that Terry had said, but was left uncommented upon at the time.

"Why did Soto hate me so much?" Mark said aloud. The entire group fell silent. Claire, sitting beside him, looked at him with curiosity.

"Pardon?" She asked. Mark, knowing everyone was paying attention, sat up nervously, staring at the floor.

"I'm just so confused. Does anyone know why Soto hated me as much as he did?" He asked again. "I never did anything to him!" Every member of the former pack exchanged glances, trying to silently ascertain who would tell him. Sam shot them all annoyed glances.

"Since no one else of my apparently fearless bunch will say it, I will," She said mockingly, looking at the sabres and humans she had come with. She changed her tone and attitude completely when she fixed on Mark, speaking kindly to him. "Rumour amongst some of the others sabres was that Soto hated you is because you are related to a sabre that betrayed him about a decade ago in order to save two animals and a human."

The whole herd sat up in shock.

"At Glacier Pass?" Manny asked.

Sam looked surprised. "Yes!" She replied. "But how did you know..."

"Because that sabre was Diego," Manny interjected. "And the two animals he was saving were me and Sid."

Mark gasped. "You mean Diego is my uncle?"

"It would appear so." Claire replied, still stunned at the revelation. Now that she thought about it, it all made sense; she just never made the connection.

Mark felt like the world was turning upside down. The sabre who had taken him in, cared for him, and who he cared for, was the indirect cause of all of the hatred that Soto has crushed him and his mother with. He slumped to the floor dejectedly. He could feel Claire put a hand on his back.

"I know what your thinking, but please; don't hold it against Diego," She said gently.

"Why not?" He muttered. "If it wasn't for him, I might have had a happy childhood."

Sam looked at him oddly. "And yet his actions meant that Manny and Sid are still alive."

"And if they weren't around, me and my brothers would have died in the flood," Ellie added.

"And we wouldn't have had a herd to save us," Claire continued.

"And I'd still be under Soto's thumb, still doing his dirty work," Terry admitted.

Sam smiled at all of them appreciatively, before turning back to Mark. "So most of us would be dead, or in a hellish position," She finished. "Your uncle's a hero, Mark; without him none of this could have happened, and you would still be under the abusive leadership of Soto."

Mark felt like crying, his emotions were in such a spin. But the string of events his uncle had put in motion buoyed him.

"Put it this way," Claire stated. "Would you rather be with our common enemy, Soto, being forced to follow the commands of that cruel and deranged cat, or be here, amongst friends and family? Soto's to blame for your hurt and lost childhood, not Diego."

This time Mark did cry; unashamedly, unabashedly in front of everyone. Claire wrapped him in her arms, giving him a warm hug. As he sobbed away, Sam stared into the fire with a fierce expression,

"We can't let Soto get away with any of this," She growled. "He has to pay for his crimes."

"Any ideas what his plans might be?" Manny asked. Terry leant forward into the circle, his face being lit up by the fire.

"Luckily for us, Soto's as predictable as a b-movie horror," Terry replied. "He'll be doing exactly as he threatened, gathering all of his allies and anyone else up for a fight, and then he'll come after us."

"Great." Manny said ironically.

"Actually, it is good news," Sam piped up. Manny looked at her with suspicion.

"How?" He asked.

"This Glacier Pass, is it narrow?" She enquired.

"Yes," Manny replied.

Sam grinned. "Then we can make it defensible and use our mix of species' talents and technologies to give him such a pasting that he'll still be licking his wounds till Kingdom Come!"

Just by the forcefulness, the entire group was convinced. But it helped that the plan made sense as well. Manny paused, gauging the mood of everyone else before speaking. As he saw determined, even excited faces all around him, he knew she had struck a chord with them all.

"All right," He said firmly. "We'll leave for Glacier Pass at sunup, meet up with Frank and the others, and get ready to give Soto a taste of his own medicine."

"Why wait?" Max, till then silent, spoke up. "We're all wide awake, an' rarin to go boss! Let's head out now!"

Before Manny could object, everyone started to move; even Ellie had carefully hoisted a sleeping Peaches up onto her back. Before he knew it, he was the last one sitting by the fire. He huffed in annoyance.

"Fine," He grumbled as he got up to follow. "We'll leave now."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x  
END OF CHAPTER 23  
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

**Thanks for reading! Look forward to reading your reviews, or just hearing from you all :)**

till chapter 24,  
Peace out


	24. Ghosts in the Machine

**Hey everyone!**

Thanks for all the reviews! It's great to see people enjoying this story :D  
For once, I have very little to say :P, except please do review! Any kind of review is welcome (except flames of course) and concrit is especially welcome!

Anyways, without further ado...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The herd, enjoying the first proper day's travelling, with food and the welcome absence of calamity, had travelled much farther than they expected to. As Manny and Terry scouted their surroundings, the first thing that struck the mammoth was that the cliffs they had camped beneath just half a day prior were nowhere to be seen.

"I ain't got a clue where we are, boss," Terry mumbled as he patted his jacket, trying to find his lighter. "But then I ain't never been here before."

Manny looked in curiosity as the human pulled out a metallic object from his pocket, setting the stick in his mouth on fire. Unsure of what to make of it, he let it slip.

"We're on the Roseberry Plains," Manny replied, watching Terry intently as he blew smoke from the burning stick out of his mouth. "I have to ask; what are you doing?"

"Huh?" Terry mumbled.

"That burning stick," Manny said, pointing his trunk at the human's hand. "What is it?"

Terry chuckled, taking another puff of it. "First time you've seen a cigarette then," The human answered. "It's something some humans like to enjoy, and something that some humans love to hate...so whatever you, don't tell Sam."

Manny raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Terry finished his cigarette, flicking it away. "Because I'm of the former category, and she's of the latter," He remarked, smiling. "And she'd give me an ass-whoopin' if she knew!"

"Hey Terry!" Hudson shouted out from the camp. "Hunting party is setting out; you joining us?"

Terry gave a smirk to the pachyderm. "That's my cue," The human said, hefting his gun onto his shoulder and pacing away. "See ya around Manny."

Manny was left alone to his thoughts. He turned back to the camp to watch the mishmashed hunting party of sabres, humans and a wolf set off, pondering the hectic journey they had had so far. He thought of Diego, Sid and the others, waiting for them at Glacier Pass, and the relieving knowledge that they were still alive. As he walked back to the camp, he reflected on the host of new members to their herd, especially the humans; whilst he had gotten to know - and trust - Claire, Ben and Frank, he realised he knew almost nothing about the others. He smiled at the irony that he had escaped death with these people, and all he really knew about them was their names and the fact they were humans.

_That'll have to change,_ he noted to himself.

As he entered the camp, he couldn't see anyone except Claire. Suddenly alarmed, he rushed over to her, only to be confused by her counting.

"Fifty four, fifty five, fifty six..." Claire shouted, her eyes tightly shut.

"What's going on?" Manny demanded. Claire opened one eye and smiled.

"We're playing hide and seek," She whispered, grinning as she did so. She then continued counting, "Sixty eight, sixty nine, SEVENTY!" Suddenly she bolted away, searching every bush, cleft and crevasse nearby. Manny sat down by the fire, still staring oddly at the human, who now manically pranced about the place, searching under everything.

"Got you!" She shouted with glee. Slowly, Eddie slunk out of his hiding place, and plonked himself by Manny.

"No fair!" He moaned. "How did she find me? I was in such a good spot as well..."

Even though he complained, Manny knew his brother-in-law well enough to spot that he was enjoying himself; the pachyderm knew the little possum beside him loved new games, even more so than his brother. One by one, Sam, Nigel, Mark and even Crash left their hiding places and sat around the fire as Claire ceaselessly caught them out. To Manny's surprise, the only two Claire hadn't caught were Ellie and Peaches. The human slowed to a stop by a tall tree, evidently confused as well.

"Come on, Claire!" Sam shouted in great amusement. "Mammoths are the biggest creatures on God's green Earth! Surely you can find them!"

The possums started to snicker loudly as the human got more and more confused. Manny glanced at the marsupials beside him, followed their line of sight, and started chuckling himself; both Peaches and her mum were hanging from a branch above Claire, trying very hard not to giggle. By now the whole ring around the fireplace saw them, and started riotously laughing. Claire looked at them with annoyance.

"What?" She said. "I just can't seen them anywhere."

"Then I guess we win!" Ellie shouted. Claire looked up in bemusement at the two mammoths dangling above her.

"How did you get up there?" She said, placing her hands on her hips and giving them a confused smile.

"Once a possum, always a possum!" Ellie called out. Peaches, swinging beside her, giggled uncontrollably.

Sam, suddenly confused, glanced across at Manny. "She _is _a mammoth, right?" She quizzed.

Manny grinned. "She hasn't always been a mammoth," he replied. "Only for the last five or so years."

Sam and Nigel stared nonplussed at the pachyderm. "And how does _that_ work, exactly?" Nigel asked.

"That's a long story..." Manny stated.

Sam stretched out her legs and shifted into a comfortable position. "Well, we have a long time to hear it." She said, smirking as she did so.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hudson could sense that something wasn't right. He couldn't see anything wrong, he couldn't even smell anything wrong, but something struck him as foreboding, out of place, _wrong_.

As he crouched in some tall grass, he looked across at the rest of the hunting party; none of them seemed put out by anything. Everyone else was paying attention to the herd of deer that was placidly eating away in the opening ahead of them, and mentally preparing themselves for the chase.

As he studied his party, he could see that they all looked eager, even excited, at the prospect of their second decent meal in almost a fortnight. But still Hudson kept alert and on guard.

The wind blew gently in their direction, and Hudson had to use all his will not to jolt up in alarm. Silently, he pressed his paw against his ear, switching on the radio fitted inside it.

"Terry," He whispered. "I can smell something, and it's not prey."

In the corner of his eye he could see the human, at the other side of the pack, glance towards him.

"Can it wait?" Terry replied quietly over the radio. "The rest of us are starving!"

Hudson paused. The scent was faint, and probably some distance away. The wolf was hungry too, if he were honest.

"Yes," He answered. "It can wait."

Terry nodded. He looked around, signalling everyone to get ready. Slowly, he raised his hand, his eyes now fixed on their prey. The moment he firmly threw his hand down, everyone charged. Charlie and Terry both shot several deer, with the sabres felling several more. Even Hudson managed to bring one down, secretly pleased that he had been able to match sabres for their hunting skills.

As Charlie began setting up a fire to cook the meal and the sabres started skinning the cadavers, Hudson was distracted. The scent, whilst still faint, was much stronger than it had been in the grass. Terry stood beside him, looking intently at the wolf.

"Can you smell that?" Hudson asked. Terry sniffed the air and shrugged.

"I can't smell anything." He remarked.

Hudson didn't answer him, so busy was he gauging which direction the scent was coming from. He began to move forward, towards a nearby cave.

"It's coming from over here," He called back. He froze as familiar scents filled his nostrils. He looked back at Terry with unease. "The scent is human."

Terry, suddenly alert, slung his rifle back into his hands, following closely behind Hudson. As they drew near, they pressed themselves against the rock that made up the entrance. Terry, gripping his rifle tightly, glanced at Hudson, who nodded that he was ready too. He took a deep breath, and spun into full view, his rifle raised and ready.

"FREEZE!" He bellowed.

His voice echoed down a corridor, thick with darkness. Once more he glanced at Hudson, who looked equally nervous. Terry switched on the flashlight that was attached to the barrel of his gun and moved cautiously forward. As he went further in, he scanned the walls, spotting several holes recognisably made by bullets. As he edged towards a curve in the passage, he pointed the gun ahead of him, hoping he would be able to shoot anything that moved before it shot him. But as he edged round the corner, the solitary light illuminated something he did not expect.

Little by little, the remnants of a camp came into view; boxes of food, devices and lamps, all of them covered extensively in cobwebs and dust. As he moved the light across, he made out the darkened spot where a fire once stood and bed spreads, though mangled, still lay strewn around it. He swerved a little further, but stopped cold.

"Dear God," He whispered in shock.

Hudson came alongside him and gaped. The wall the light was shining on, tinged ever so slightly red, was riddled with bullet holes, but that was not what they were staring at. On the ground, six skulls stared silently back at them, the skeletons they were attached to were crumpled in a distinctive way. Terry sighed; he knew the work of an execution squad when he saw it. He reached for his walkie talkie.

"Charlie," He murmured into it. "Get over here. We have a problem."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It had been hours since they had left Diego and Frank in the medical bay, and Buck was desperately hungry. Yet no matter how much frantic searching he did, he failed to find any food. Sid's whining and the confusing human signs, full of odd symbols and pictograms, didn't help his mood.

"Oooh," Sid moaned, clutching his stomach. "I'm hungry! I'm gonna die of hunger before we find anything here!"

Buck shot him an irritated look. "Can you shut up?" He snapped. "I'm trying my best 'ere!"

Sid looked hurt. "Hey, don't take it out on me! Just because you can't find anything here doesn't mean you can't have some manners!"

Buck grumbled under his breath, deciding to ignore the jibe. He grumpily stomped away, opening a nearby door to a room full of bright screens and images, and went in. Sid huffed and followed.

"You people from down under just don't know how to resolve conflict, do you," He muttered. "Momma Dinosaur was exactly the same..."

"This is not the down under!" Buck shouted. "And there wouldn't be any conflict if you could keep your mouth shut for just one second! Maybe then I could find where the food is!"

Sid was not amused. "I take it you haven't asked yet, then?" He quizzed. Buck flung his arms open in exasperation, looking around before focussing an irritated gaze back on the sloth.

"And who am I meant to ask?" He shouted back. "There sure as 'eck ain't anyone 'ere!"

"Well, Frank just talked to a wall, which talked back, and it seemed helpful enough!" Sid retorted. Rather than continue arguing, he looked up at the ceiling, just as he saw the human do. He thought long and hard for what word Frank used. A smile came to his face as it drifted back into his mind. "Um...computer?"

_"How may I be of service?" _The now familiar female voice droned pleasantly. Sid grinned at Buck, who shot him back a smirk.

"You 'ave yer moments, Sid," He commented quietly, giving him a pat on the back. "They ain't many, but you sure 'ave yer moments."

Sid smiled at the weasel warmly, before looking back at the ceiling. "Computer, can you direct us to wherever the food is kept, please?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Buck and Sid stared in awe. With the computer's help, they had found the food stores; masses and masses of food, more than either he or Sid had ever seen in one place before. They both laughed with joy, looking at each other with glee. Without a further word, they rushed their separate ways, investigating every chilled room, every shelf, every box, eagerly sampling anything they found. Between the two of them they devoured days worth of food, especially pausing to try out any food they had never seen before, experiencing flavours like they had never tasted. Eventually, Buck stumbled into Sid, who was busy eating something that resembled a squidgy brown rock, covered in white with a cherry on top. Buck sat down next to the sloth, eyeing what he was eating with curiosity.

"Wot is that?" the weasel enquired. Sid looked up, his mouth covered in brown and white.

"The computer called it a 'chocolate cake'," He muffled. "Try it, it's delicious!"

Even though his stomach felt close to bursting, Buck scooped up a piece and took a bite out of it. His eyes widened as overwhelmingly sweet flavours assaulted his senses in ways he never expected. He loved every part of it; the texture, the taste, even the white crust on top of it.

"Wow," he murmured, eyeing the cake with awe. "That's the best darned thing I've ever tasted!"

Sid saw the ravenous look in Buck's eyes and curled round his cake to protect it. "Get your own!" He replied gruffly. "They're in that cold room over there!"

In a flash, Buck was gone.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Buck felt ill. He immediately regretted eating so much cake - so much his stomach actually hurt - and he could see the same pained expression on Sid's face.

"Phew!" Sid exclaimed. "One thing I'll hand the humans is that they have some good eatin'!"

Buck chuckled. "You can say that again!" He paused, lowering his eyes. "I'm sorry fer gettin' ratty at you earlier; I was tired, nervous and 'ungry and I shouldn'ta taken it out on you. I'm sorry Sid."

Sid smiled. "Ah don't worry about it, I'm a sloth! I'm too lazy to hold a grudge. And besides, we're family; families are supposed to get up each others noses every so often!"

Buck smiled appreciatively back, suddenly feeling energized, even with his overfull stomach.

"Thanks Sid...Now!" He said enthusiastically. "Wot say we go and find out what these 'umans do fer fun, ay?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Silence fell on the camp as Sam, Nigel and Mark listened intently to the herd's story as told by Manny. He told them everything, from how he, Sid and Diego first met to up to their encounter with Terry and his sabres at Porcupine Gorge. The three of them sat in awed silence after he had finished speaking.

"Thats...an _incredible story!_" Sam exclaimed. "It's a miracle in itself that you're all still alive!"

Manny smiled at her, but wanted to ask a question, only the words escaped him. He glanced over to Ellie, who gave him a knowing look.

"Shall I ask?" She whispered to him.

"Ask what?" Nigel asked, overhearing. Manny, blushing under his fur, shuffled around as if put on the spot.

"I was...um...," He fumbled, still at a loss for words. Ellie chuckled, wrapping her trunk around his and giving it a gentle tug.

"What Manny means is that he wants to know your stories," She said for him. "And how you all came to know each other."

Sam smiled, but she looked distant, tinged with a hint of sorrow. She glanced over at Nigel,

"After you." She murmured quietly.

Manny instantly recognised the look in her eyes; he knew it from a thousand reflections; it was a look of sorrow, a look of mourning...a look of regret. Whatever Sam's story, the pachyderm realised that, somewhere along her journey, she had lost someone, and someone close.

Nigel cleared his throat, drawing Manny's attention back to the conversation at hand. He looked shy, even unsure of himself, but he smiled all the same.

"Well my life has certainly been the least exciting of the members of our expedition, and so there's not much to say..." He rambled.

Sam gave him a playful punch, which he knew well as her way of saying, _get on with it!_

"Well, um, I was born about fifteen years before most of the rest of these young'uns, in 1988 to be precise...not that you know our dating system in the slightest..."

Sam gave him yet another playful punch. Nigel took the hint.

"But I digress! Well, At first I studied to be a vet - that is, a kind of doctor for animals - but there wasn't much of a demand for my profession by the time I got out of university, just as the world economy collapsed for the second time in five years, so I restudied to become an actual doctor at Kings College London, where I went through a veritable baptism of fire; I was there when the Troubles started, and we were thrust onto the frontline, tending the wounds of soldier and insurgent alike. My efforts were noticed by those higher up when i..."

Manny, nodding along as if he understood what was being said, leant in towards Ellie,

"Do you have any idea what he's talking about?" He whispered.

"Shh!" Ellie snapped back.  
Begrudgingly, Manny turned back and paid attention, only to realise that the doctor had kept talking,

"...and, when the Troubles passed, they offered me an emeritus professorship, which I duly accepted. Teaching and research was something that turned out I was well suited for, and I stayed there for a very long time. By mere happenstance, it was at Kings that Frank showcased his time travel technology to the world, and I was so fascinated by it that I got in touch with him and offered my services - and thus the research labs at Kings. I helped him study and test the physiological responses of various species, humans especially, to fine tune his technology and to make it safe to use. And that brings us to this expedition! I was meant to be here to study the long term effects of time travel...and in case a doctor's needed of course...but then all this kafuffle happened, and here we are!"

The herd didn't know how to react after Nigel finished speaking; if they were honest, they weren't even sure what he said, since so many of the words he had used they had never heard before. To everyone's relief, Ellie spoke up.

"Well that's quite a story in itself!" She remarked kindly. "Sounds like you've had an interesting life!"

Manny looked over at Ellie, in awe of her diplomatic skills; he knew she was as nonplussed about much of the doctor's story as he was, but she showed no trace of confusion on her face. Nigel smirked, quickly dissimulating,

"Oh it's nothing compared to the stories of the likes of Charlie, or Frank, or even Sam..." He received a sharp jab in his side from Sam and promptly changed tack. "I mean, um, thank you, you're too kind!" He quickly stated, smirking.

Manny turned back to Sam, eager to hear her story. But before he could speak, Hudson burst over the hill, charging towards them with urgency.

"We've found something!" Hudson shouted from a distance, skidding to a halt. Manny jumped to his feet in concern.

"What is it?" He asked. Hudson shook his head, panting heavily.

"We're not in danger, if that's what you're thinking," the wolf replied. "But it could mean trouble."

Manny nodded and glanced at everyone around the camp fire. Without a word, everyone upped and followed the wolf.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

To Terry's surprise, the lanterns they had found at the human camp still worked, bathing the cave's chamber in an eerie yellow glow. He and Charlie brushed away cobwebs and dust, trying to find something, _anything_, that could shed light on what had happened. The more they uncovered, the less the situation made sense; they found no guns, or weapons of any kind, and the faded clothes on the skeletons suggested the deceased were scientists and technicians. Terry stood silently, perturbed at the scene before him. He looked over at Charlie.

"Why would they travel over twenty thousand years, just to shoot defenceless civilians?" He asked, not expecting and answer.

"More to the point, why are they _here?"_

Terry and Charlie swerved round, pulling their pistols out of their holsters as did so, and pointed directly at the entrance to the chamber. Sam, Nigel and Hudson flinched. Both humans promptly lowered their weapons.

"Bloody hell!" Charlie exclaimed. "Let us know you're coming in next time, we nearly shot you!"

Hudson smirked. "Duly noted!" He replied. "Anyway, as I was saying, the question isn't why they were killed, it's why they are _here, _in this cave."

Terry straightened out, stepping to the side so that the three of them could get a better view.

"Any ideas how we'd go about figuring that out, boss?" He muttered, still moving backwards. "We've been searching this cave for an hour and we still ain't found anything..."

Terry cut himself off as he stepped on something by the wall of the cave. As he looked down at what he had assumed was a dust heap, he could just make out an object. Intrigued, he crouched down and picked it up out of the dirt. As the dust fell off of it, it became recognisable.

"Well well," he remarked. He looked up at the huddled group now surrounding him and smirked.

"What is it?" Sam quizzed. As more dust fell from the device, it became more and more apparent.

"It's a Dictaphone," Terry muttered. He quickly glanced over at Hudson, realising he might not know human technology too well, "It's a device that lets humans keep a record using speech, much like a..."

"I know what a Dictaphone is, colonel," Hudson stated brusquely. "Is it still working?"

He tapped it and, to everyone's shock, it came to life. He wiped the screen, and pressed one of the entries. A man's voice started speaking, filling up the silence.

"_January fifth, twenty one sixty seven. Reports from home have been getting worse; stories of border attacks and bombings are becoming more and more common. The defence council have ordered us to continue our research; they seem to think it will give them an edge..."_

Everyone exchanged uneasy glances. As Terry tapped the device to silence it, everyone else began to instinctively stare at the remains that lay at the other side of the room.

"Twenty one sixty seven," Nigel murmured. "So they're..."

"From a hundred and thirty two years in _our_ future." Sam finished, deeply disturbed. Suddenly the man's voice filled the air again. He sounded weary, even tired.

_"October twelfth, twenty one sixty eight. The reports of the war make harrowing reading. So far the death toll has reached six hundred million," _hepaused_. "My God, six hundred million in nine months...the stories from people on the other side is that most of the major cities are already in ruins, and it's only getting worse." _

Terry left the device running, and it promptly continued playing back it's recordings.

_"November fifth, twenty one sixty eight. We had our first assault today; good people died today for no reason. The base is on red alert, and it isn't exactly a boost for morale that Fort Columbus has had to be evacuated. Still, the council thinks our work might still win the war for them" _The man grunted_. "...win, like it's some kind of game..."_

Realising there could be much, much more, Terry tapped the last entry on the device, the man's voice echoed one last time; his voice sounded haggard, desperate, even on the point of despair.

_"They've taken Fort Halstead! They attacked before dawn; we were like sitting ducks. Many of us hid in the ruined volcano nearby, but they hunted us down and killed most of the survivors that hid there. We barely managed to escape, but they're closing in on us. I know no one will hear this, but still; if you are anywhere near us, run. Stay away from Fort Halstead...Oh God..." _The echo of gunfire rattled in the background. As the noise and screams emanated from the device, everyone looked over at the skeletons; they all knew that they were hearing the last moments of those six people. Suddenly, with a brutal finality, masses of machine gun fire rang out.

"Turn it off." Sam grumbled angrily, her eyes welling up with tears. Though the Dictaphone was now silent, she could still hear the screams and the gunfire, as if they were seared into her very soul.

"I don't understand," Charlie murmured. "Why did they hunt them down so viciously? These are civilians; they weren't even armed..."

"Understanding had nothin' to do with this," Terry growled. "You heard what he said; World War Three was pretty well underway by this point. Sense an' reason don't have any part to play in this."

Hudson sat on his hind legs, deep in thought. After a while his eyes widened. "Oh no..."

"What?" Sam asked.

"Frank and the others said they were headed for Fort Halstead when we last spoke to them." The wolf murmured. Everyone exchanged shocked glances.

"Crap." Terry grumbled. He picked up his rifle and headed for the exit in haste. Everyone else took one last glance at the chamber and followed.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"What's going on?" Manny quizzed as Terry paced out. In reply, Terry raised the Dictaphone and played him the entries they had just heard. Everyone stood around, listening intently. As his descriptions rang out, Manny and Ellie shared an anxious glance.

"That's Half Peak he's talking about." Ellie muttered.

Manny nodded. "We've got to go, now." He said firmly.

"What?" Claire exclaimed. "Why?"

Manny turned around and looked her in the eyes. "That mountain he just described matches Half Peak, which is by Glacier Pass..." He stated.

Claire gasped. "Frank, Buck, Diego, Sid..." She murmured. "They're..."

"In danger," Manny finished. "We've stayed here too long, come on, we have to leave _now_!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It had been days since Buck and Sid had left Frank and Diego in the medical bay and they had already slipped into a comfortable rhythm. With the help of the computer, they had found the dormitories, and had had the most comfortable two nights sleep they had ever had. They had also found the cinema, and had eagerly indulged in the human past time of watching films. Even after such a short time, the base felt like home, and they began to get to grip with their surroundings.

Buck wandered the corridors alone, having left Sid to his afternoon nap. He strolled around gingerly, already looking forward to watching another of the humans visual stories they had seen so many of already. The thought of sitting in a comfortable seat with a cake already had him salivating. He came to a halt as he heard a clanging sound echo down the corridor. He looked around him ambivalently.

"'Who's there?" He asked. Silence responded to him.

Another crash echoed off the walls, this time from the other direction. He spun round, seeing a dark shape in the distance. He took a step back in fear.

"Who are you?" He demanded. "And 'ow the 'eck did you get 'ere?"

The figure moved forward slowly, it's features still concealed in darkness. Buck panicked, turned on the spot, and fled in the other direction. The footsteps behind him quickened into a sprint, chasing the weasel as fast as it could.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Sid awoke abruptly to a noise resounding through the halls. It was the sound of a weasel screaming.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

**End of Chapter 24**

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

**Thanks for reading folks! Please do click that review button below and let me know what i did good, what i did badly and what needs to improve...**

see y'all soon!


	25. Ashes to Ashes

**Hello everyone!**

I hope you are all well!  
Thank you all who reviewed the last chapter; and I thank you for the blunt reviews! Looking at it now I realise that a lot of it didnt really have much to do with the plot, and I apologise for that! Ill try and make sure it doesnt happen again :)...(though, of course, I cant guarantee it wont!)

As usual, please read, and review! I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this chapter!

Whilst I remember; those of you who wish to contact and congratulate my beta for making this work readable; she reviewed on chap 24, her name is FortheKingdom, so drop her a message!

Also, if you have the time, read DiegoRedeemedLover's work Lost in Time: Destiny – its a fantastic spinoff of this story, and pretty damn good to boot! Well worth a read :)  
Anyways, without further ado...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank groaned as a host of smells and feelings he wished he could forget flooded his senses. Once more he could feel tarmac underneath him, and the acrid scent of burning filled his nostrils. He opened his eyes, staring once again through the same haze he remembered from the last time. He sprang to his feet and swung round, taking in his whole surroundings.

He once again stood in London, only this time he was standing in Parliament Square. Whitehall, once the heart of government, blazed fiercely behind him, billowing smoke into the air. As he turned, he could see Westminster abbey, one of it's once majestic towers having collapsed across the road, crushing the building opposite it. As he swerved yet still, he froze.

Checkpoints and fortified positions came into view, defending the Houses of Parliament and the green beside it, which had been hastily turned into a helipad. Statues that had once stood proudly now, like the rest of the city, lay desolate on the floor, unheeded by the soldiers who had thrown them down to make way for helicopters. He threw his hands up in the air, preparing to plead with the myriads of soldiers not to shoot him.

"They can't see you Frank, and even if they did they wouldn't be able to shoot you."

Frank, hands still above his head, turned to face the voice. Hudson stood there again, obviously amused at the human's needless gesture of surrender.

"_You!" _Frank bellowed, pacing towards him angrily. "Why are you doing this to me? Why have you brought me back here?"

Hudson smiled,

"Ah, so you no longer believe these are just mere dreams then?"

"I don't give a damn what they are!" Frank shouted. "I just want them to stop," He looked back at the checkpoints, before staring at the wolf pleadingly. "I beg you to stop, please."

His voice cracked with the sheer emotions that coursed through him. The wolf remained silent. Without saying another word, he walked past Frank, towards the mass of soldiers.

"Do you remember who the commanding officer of this particular battalion was?" Hudson called back.

Frank remained where he stood, fighting against all the emotions raging inside of him.

"Of course I do," he growled flatly.

"Then let's go say hello, shall we?" Hudson shouted back in a casual tone.

Frank was in two minds. He looked down at the firestorm that was once Whitehall, and then at the collapsed abbey and cursed; even if he wanted to take flight, he had to run in the very same direction that Hudson was walking. He took a deep breath, pushing his anger down, trying to regain a modicum of calm. After a while he broke out into a jog to join the wolf, by now trotting gingerly across the helipad. Frank slowed down, keeping an even pace with the wolf that was now dragging him towards his past. His mind raced wildly, trying to find _anything _to keep his mind off of what he was about to face.

"Are you really Hudson?" He asked gruffly.

"No," The wolf replied breezily. "But you already knew that, so get to what you are _really _asking_."_

"Ok then; what are you?" He asked. Hudson looked up at him and smirked.

"I could be your concussion, or even your fever speaking for all you care," He said. "So what use is my answering that question? You've already made up your mind on the matter."

Frank nodded at the fairness of the assessment, though he was still angry.

"Fine," He muttered in irritation. "Can we get this over and done with then?"

The wolf chuckled. "All in good time, Mr. Howard," He murmured. "All in good time."

They walked past the defensive perimeter with an ease that surprised Frank. As he looked around, he finally focussed on where they were going, and he juddered to a halt when he looked ahead at a fresh faced Captain he once knew. A man who still haunted him in his darkest moments. Before he could protest, he had the eerie feeling of someone walking _through _him, as if he wasn't even there. Frank recognised the man as a much, much younger Charlie.

"Sir!" Charlie saluted. The captain looked up from the mess of maps and screens that littered the desk in front of him and nodded,

"At ease," He said. "Charlie, please give me some good news."

"The only good news I have is that the surviving members of the Royal family are airborne and are headed for Canada, Frank," Charlie replied, evidently troubled. "I also have our orders, but you're not gonna like them."

The younger Frank looked perturbed, but brought himself under control quickly.

"What are they?" He asked calmly.

Charlie paused ambivalently. "Once we get as many MPs out as we can, we are ordered to fall back and regroup with the 2nd and 7th divisions stationed at Watford. Similar orders have been given to troops south of the river, to regroup with the 4th and 8th in Wimbledon."

"What?" The younger Frank exclaimed. "Why?"

"Command has decided London cannot be held," Charlie replied in an impressive mix of discipline and dismay. "The moment His Majesty's Government is safe, fighter jets will be deployed from RAF Northolt, with orders to..." Charlie's discipline cracked slightly; both Franks could see his eyes well up. "...to bomb every bridge over the Thames, in order to cut off the insurgents from each other. London has officially been declared a hostile city to be recaptured."

The older Frank turned from the scene unfolding, tears streaking down his face. "Please," He begged to Hudson. "End this. I can't take this anymore."

Hudson looked at him impassively. "You need to see this," He stated quietly. "In time, you will understand."

"Damn your understanding!" Frank spat hatefully. "There's no reason for me to remember this nightmare."

Hudson didn't respond verbally, merely by gesturing back towards the exchange. Begrudgingly, Frank turned back.

Charlie watched his newly promoted commanding officer and long standing friend as he slumped onto the stool beneath him. A subdued atmosphere took hold of everyone in earshot.

"What are your orders, sir?" He asked. The younger Frank stood up, recomposing himself.

"We're British officers," He replied coldly. "And we have been given orders from British High Command, and it is our duty to obey," He shot a firm, yet disturbed, glance at Charlie. "Issue the orders as they were given to you."

Frank saw Charlie visibly wince, as if from a pain deep down. The older Frank watched in dismay as the penny dropped for both his younger counterpart, and Charlie; that what had started as the worst terrorist attack in history was about to become the biggest bloodbath Europe had seen in almost a century, of that he was sure. But he took a deep breath and saluted.

"Yes sir." He muttered, before walking purposefully away. His radio halted him, as it thundered into life.

_"Contact!" _every radio screeched in unison. _"Commons bridge! There are thousands of them!"_

Frank and Charlie looked at each other apprehensively.

"Get the government out," Frank ordered, grabbing his rifle. "We don't have much time!"

Charlie nodded and broke out into a sprint towards to nearest entrance of Parliament. Within minutes the several Chinook helicopters that had landed across the square roared into life as streams of bedraggled men and women were being herded towards them by soldiers. The older Frank took one last glance at the stream of refugees that had once ruled the country, before his attention was caught by the sudden roaring of the mob that now lay across the river from them. He sprinted from where he stood, taking his place beside his younger self, right in the centre of the blockade that faced off the horde. He could see the fear in his eyes. The younger Frank, eyes still fixed on the mob, pressed his radio close to him.

"Command, this is Captain Howard," He shouted. "Enemy sighted, what are your orders?"

"_This is Command," _his radio sputtered back. "_You are cleared to engage if intentions prove hostile."_

Frank sighed; he was afraid they were going to say that.

"Roger, over and out." He replied. He switched his channel. "This is Captain Howard. Command has ordered us to fire if they attack. Take defensive positions."

The older Frank stood by, passively watching the events unfold. He had gone beyond pleading to be spared from watching this, but he still hoped...even prayed...that somehow events would be different. That it wouldn't happen the way he remembered. But then he saw it. As the mob pressed forward slowly, a rocket flew out from them. He instinctively ducked, but still watched it coursing through the air, before it swayed upwards, hitting one of the clock faces of St. Stephen's tower. He felt cold as he watched Big Ben explode, it's remnants spraying out in every direction, the hulking edifice of it's steepled roof falling sideways, crashing with ferocity onto the ground below.

"Open fire!" His younger self yelled. "Open fire!"

Frank screamed; all the years of suffering this moment had caused him bubbled to the surface, erupting out of him as he watched wave after wave of people felled by bullets on both sides. Sure enough, the mob retreated, dragging what few it could back across the river. As Chinooks flew over him, he saw the troops, his younger self included, pull back.

"Running would be a good idea!" Hudson shouted at him. Even as he spoke, he could see the fighters in the distance, appearing from the smoke like the harbingers of death that they were. Frank broke out into a sprint back towards the square, desirous of not being caught in their fire like the last time.

The sheer force of the impact behind him blew him off of his feet. He hit the tarmacked ground hard, being showered in debris and broken glass. Slowly, he sat up to stare blankly at the destruction. Already, the wailing and screaming from the other side of the river became deafening to him. He looked at the wolf, who had sat beside him.

"The death toll from us opening fire was sixty seven," He stated wearily. "A drop in the ocean compared to the ninety two thousand that's coming - one of them being my father - but these were different; these people were killed because I gave the order."

"Technically, Command gave the order." Hudson said gently. Frank shook his head, tears streaming silently down his face.

"Doesn't matter," He almost whispered. "_I _gave the order; their blood is on my hands," He felt broken inside, like he was when in the months after it had actually happened. He looked up at Hudson. "Please," He begged, "What more do you want from me? Let me go."

"Your answers can be found at Fort Halstead." The wolf muttered. Frank looked at him with incomprehension.

"What?" Was all he could muster.

Hudson smiled. "You heard me the first time, so I shan't repeat it. Time to wake up, Mr. Howard."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Blinding white lights and booming voices welcomed him as he re-entered the waking world. He felt disoriented and dazed, but the very first thought that slipped into his mind was that he was no longer in pain. He groggily lifted himself up, planting his feet onto the floor. As he heaved himself off of the bed, his legs gave way and he crumpled to the floor with a thud.

_"Movement is not recommended for a few minutes after the procedure has finished, as the paralytic has not fully worn off." _The computer stated. Frank grunted.

_Thanks for the advice_, he voiced in his head.

"Morning."

Frank looked up, gazing blearily at the tiger staring back. He grinned, and tried to speak.

It disconcerted him when no sound came out. The tiger chuckled.

"Whatever stuff this thing gave us, one of it's effects seems to be complete loss of voice," Diego said quietly. "Don't worry- I got out not long before you and my voice works fine now!"

Frank moved out of his compromising position and settled himself against the bed he had lain on for three days.

"I...really...need...a...bath." He croaked hoarsely.

Diego smirked. "I could have told you that."

Frank chuckled coarsely.

"Thanks...bu..."

Frank trailed off as a distant scream echoed quietly. Both he and Diego looked quizzically at each other, and spent several minutes craning their necks, listening to the noise.

"That's Buck," Diego said in surprise. "And he's coming this way..."

"Are you sure?" Frank asked, now able to speak properly. Diego shot him a glance,  
"Do you even need to ask?" The tiger growled, smiling.

Eventually, the scream slowly changed into maniacal laughter as it came closer and closer, until Buck suddenly skidded into the medical bay. Diego looked oddly at him.

"Buck, what are you doing?" He asked. The weasel breathed deeply, gripping his knife tightly.

"There's someone 'ere," He heaved. "Someone besides us, and 'es comin' this way!"

Frank quickly reached for his pistol and trained it keenly on the door entrance. A sudden flash of light erupted in the darkened hallway beyond, illuminating the outline of a human. The bullet missed them and slammed into a console at the back of the bay, shattering it completely. Frank, regaining a little more strength as the drugs wore off, yanked Diego off of the bed and ducked for cover.

"Hold your fire!" Frank shouted. "We are not your enemy!"

"Coalition scum!" The human screamed, firing more bullets in their direction, shattering consoles all around them. They shielded themselves as glass showered over them. Frank quickly brushed himself off and took a quick glance beyond the bed, yanking his head quickly back as the human fired even more. He took another glance and fired several shots in the human's direction.

"I have you cornered," The human yelled. "Surrender now and the European War Council might treat you with leniency!"

Buck and Diego looked at Frank quizzically.

"Wot's he talking about?" Buck asked. "Wot's the European War Council?"

Frank checked his ammo attentively. "That's a conversation for another time," He grunted as yet another bullet smashed a nearby screen. "Ya know, one where we're _not_ under fire."

Buck nodded. Without a word, he grabbed the other pistol that still sat holstered in Frank's pocket. Both Frank and Diego looked at him in alarm. The weasel shot a grin at both of them,

"I've seen 'im use this plenty of times!" He said. He hauled the pistol, suddenly looking much larger in the weasel's arms, onto the bed, using his arm to squeeze the trigger. To Frank's surprise, he took the recoil in his stride, and continued to fire, only to quickly jump down as more bullets tore the bed to shreds.

"Come out," The human shouted. "The western coalition has been defeated! You have nowhere to run!"

"What's going on here?"

Frank, Buck and Diego all shared horrified looks as they heard the new voice.

"Crap," Frank muttered before shouting out at the top of his voice, "Sid! Get back!"

To their horror, they heard yet more gunfire, but no longer aimed at them.

Diego immediately tensed up, and jumped out from his cover, roaring with rage.

"NO!" He yelled.

The human, confused at to who to point at, paused. Frank took full use of this and jumped up, swerved round, and fired several shots. The human cried out in pain, dropping his pistol. As fast as he could, he scuffled away, back into the shadows. Diego, Frank and Buck thought twice about going after him, so worried were they about Sid.

Diego ran up the corridor, turning the corner, looking desperately for the sloth.

"Sid!" He screamed. Within seconds, his neck was wrapped in a near death grip by the terrified sloth. For once, Diego didn't resist the embrace; he could literally feel his friend shaking in terror. As Frank and Buck skidded round the corner, they both heaved a sigh of relief.

"Thank God," Frank exclaimed. "Sid, are you hurt?"

"He's fine," Diego replied. "Shaken up, but ok. I'll stay with him, you go find that scumbag."

Frank scanned every direction and cursed under his breath. "The base is massive," He mumbled. "I wouldn't even know where to start..."

Buck, pistol now slung over his shoulder instead of his knife, looked over at him oddly.

"'ow about following that trail?" He stated plainly, pointing at the floor by the infirmary. As Frank and Buck moved in for a closer look, it became clear; blood, and a lot of it.

"Whoever he is, he's dying," Frank said quietly. "Come on, Buck!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

They swerved through the corridors in a near sprint, following the trail of blood. As they ran into the Mess Hall, they slowed to a halt; the human lay in the corner, slumped onto the floor. Frank and Buck trained their respective weapons on him, glaring at him.

"Why did you attack us?" Frank growled. The human looked up with glazed eyes.

"Coalition scum," He murmured, spitting out some blood. "You killed everyone else. Are you now here to kill me?"

"We are not members of the Coalition!" Frank yelled.

The human looked up at him in genuine surprise.

"You're...you're not Coalition?" He said in confusion. Frank looked at the blood and lowered his weapon and his voice; it suddenly hit him that he was yelling at a dying man.

"No, we're not," Frank said quietly, kneeling down beside him. "We're half of a herd that got separated..." Frank paused, realizing how nonsensical it sounded. "...I was a member of the first expedition through time."

The human's eyes widened. "The expedition!" He gasped, blood still trickling from his wounds. "What's your name?"

"My name is Frank Howard." He replied quietly.

The man smiled slightly. "The man who killed time," He whispered, smiling a little more at the irony. "Or rather, the one who paved...the way for us to do so."

Frank noticed the pause, noting mentally that the human's body was shutting down.

_Last chance to get answers,_ he thought.

"What happened here?" Frank asked pointedly. The human reached for his pocket, and slowly pulled out what looked like an ID card.

"This will grant you...access...to the computer system..." The human murmured. As he grew more and more limp, he looked longingly at Frank. "Forgive me for shooting at you," He whispered. "I thought you were..."

Frank placed his hand gently on his shoulder. "There's nothing to forgive," He replied. "Just a cruel misunderstanding."

The human took one last, deep breath. "Forgive us also...for what...we've...done..."

He slumped, still staring up at Frank, and breathed his last. Frank took the ID card from his hand, and looked again at the now lifeless eyes, and closed his eyes, trying hard to hold back the tears, but failed; his vivid dream, and the brokenness he had felt, now stung deeply. He looked down at the human whose life he had just cut off through tear filled eyes. "I'm sorry," He whispered. "Oh God, I'm so sorry..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The sun had vanished from above the herd, concealed behind dark and menacing clouds. As they walked onwards, it began to drizzle. Within minutes the light spray had turned into fierce, driving rain. The ground they walked on turned to deep mud almost instantly, interspersed by little streams of rainwater. The cliffs to their right had turned into sporadic waterfalls as the rain only got harder.

Hudson and Manny were at the front of the bedraggled group, leading the way. He peered ahead, increasingly aware that visibility had shrunk to just beyond his tusks, so heavy was the downpour. Suddenly, like a spectre in the mist, there emerged a sight that made the pachyderm's heart sink.

He stared dejectedly at the cliff ahead of them, hidden so effectively by the rain until that point, at the road they were standing on, which split at its base, each way going an entirely separate direction. Hudson, seemingly unfazed by the drenching he was receiving, trotted up to the road, sniffing intently.

"Blast," He muttered. "The rain's washed away any scent; I haven't got a clue which direction we're supposed to go."

Manny sighed. "I was worried you'd say that," He replied. "Cos I can't remember which way it is either..."

Hudson glared at him. "You _can't remember_?" He spluttered. "You've walked this route before, and mammoths are supposed to have excellent memory! How can you possibly forget?"

"Wolves are supposed to have great sense of smell, but I don't see _you_ finding us a direction!" Manny retorted angrily.

The wolf paced towards him fiercely. "There's no scent to follow," He growled. "Because the rain has washed it away! What's your excuse, lost your brain?"

Charlie, within earshot, could hear the raised voices. Pre-emptively, he placed himself between the two of them, his arms outstretched.

"Easy, guys!" He said calmly. "Clearly the weather's frayed a few nerves here! Let's just take a deep breath and find another solution, ok?"

Hudson paused, closing his eyes for a few moments. He straightened out and became calm once more, as if nothing had happened.

"Sorry about that Manny," He said quietly. "I guess I'm a little on edge at the moment."

The mammoth nodded. "Me too, so don't worry," He replied. "Now, back to our current problem..."

He trailed as all three of them stared silently as the sabres walked past them, taking the left route.

"When you're finished arguing fellahs, feel free to join us!" Max shouted back. Hudson and Manny exchanged a curious glance.

"How do you know it's that way?" Hudson asked. Max looked at him oddly.

"This is the Migration route, we know it well! Lots of prey travels along it every year," He answered, still looking confused. "...you have migrated before, haven't ya?"

Hudson shrugged. "In all honesty, I haven't."

"So you've been in the south all your life?" Manny asked. Hudson smirked.

"Not exactly..." He stated.

Manny shot him a quizzical look, but let it drop; he was wet and weary, and wanted to find somewhere dry - such a question can wait. One by one, the herd moved to follow the sabres, hoping that Glacier Pass was much nearer than they thought.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Diego, Sid and Buck stood by and watched sombrely as Frank buried the man who, just an hour ago, had been trying to kill them. They stood silently as he dug a hole for the man in the centre of the massive open grounds in-between the complex's structures, and looked on in interest as he fashioned a cross from two pieces of scrap metal nearby. None of them knew his name, or even where he came from, but somehow none of that mattered; it felt right to give him a decent burial, regardless of the fact he had tried to kill them. Eventually, Frank walked back up to them, his face ashen and stony.

"What do we do now?" Sid asked. Frank glanced back at the fresh grave and then down at the card in his hand.

"The herd will be here in a few days," He muttered quietly. "Can you guys keep yourselves busy till then?"

Sid looked at him oddly. "Well, sure," He said. "But what will you be doing?"

Frank still looked at the card, but then gasped it tightly in his hand, and looked up at the towering structure they had been in.

"I'm going to learn what sort of bloody mess we've found ourselves in." He growled. He glanced one last time at the three of them, and walked off.

"Frank, wait!" Sid shouted. He tried to go after him, but was quickly held back by Buck.

"Don't, Sid," He said gently. "'e wants to be alone right now. Leave 'im be."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The command centre of the based seemed chaotic, even to Frank. Scorch marks blackened the windows, which all lined the furthest wall. Everywhere he looked, he could see signs that it was evacuated in a hurry; broken screens lay on the floor, along with the odd skeleton strewn across the desks and floors.

As he scanned the room, he made out a door that different; whereas every other door on the base was bland steel, this one was made of wood and glass.

"Bingo." He muttered to himself.

The moment he opened the door, he knew he was right; he was standing in the commander's office. He stared at the elegant office in front of him; bookcases filled with antique books, interspersed with pictures of people he assumed was the commander's family and friends. At the end of the room stood a large mahogany desk, with a sword mounted on the wall behind it...

Frank froze, staring at the chair on the other side of the desk; he judged by the insignia on the shoulders that he was staring at the earthly remains of the commander himself. As he moved closer, he could see two letters on the desk, one printed and one handwritten, and a pistol still gripped in the deadman's right hand. Now standing directly opposite, he spun the letters round to read them. There was only one line written by hand on the paper, and he sighed as he read it,

_All is lost. May God have mercy on me, on us all, for what we've done._

Frank took one more glance at the man before him; he now saw the hole in the side of his head, on the same side as the pistol. He took a deep breath, before turning to the other letter, this one printed. He pulled out one of the chairs that lay on his side of the desk and sat down to read;

To the commander of Fort Halstead, circa 17,994BC,

It is with great regret that I write to inform you of the situation as it currently stands. Whilst the war has officially ended, the damage it has caused across several timespans has proven to be irreparable. The use of chemical, biological and thermonuclear weapons by both sides has annihilated approximately 87% of all life in all theatres of war. The damage caused has rendered it highly likely that all human life, irrespective of the era, will become extinct within several years of this message. Whilst we will attempt to save the remnants of humanity, it is unlikely that we shall succeed, since what is left of the Western Coalition have determined to not allow our faction to survive if their own continuity is not guaranteed. You are now one of the last bastions of humanity, and thus the Phoenix Contingency is in effect. Be advised that you are officially the last great target of the enemy. Prepare yourselves. This is the last communication you are likely to receive from us, as the condition of the timeline has rendered travel, both physical and digital, across it highly unstable. Good luck and Godspeed.

God have mercy on you, and all of us, for what we have done.

Farewell,

Matthew Parker

Atlantic High Command

October 7th, 2169

Frank sat back in his chair, stunned beyond all feeling. Without knowing how any of this happened, he now knew the results. As he looked around at the furnishings, pictures and comforts of his surroundings, he now saw them in a different light; relics of a dead civilisation - of a species, his species - that had quite literally annihilated all trace of itself from history, bar destruction.

He suddenly felt very alone, and angry so strong that words couldn't describe it. In sheer, frustrated rage, he slammed his fist into the desk.

"Why didn't you listen?" He screamed into the air. "I warned you of this! I told you this could happen!"

He knew they couldn't hear him; 20,000 years separated them and him, but it felt better to let it out rather than hold it in.

"This is what I wanted to prove to you, to warn you of! But you didn't bloody listen, did you?"

Even as he bellowed he could picture the faces of the men and women who had shattered his illusions, and whom he forced the expedition out of, in a forlorn attempt to stop them...

He let out a harsh, humourless laugh; it all seemed so petty now, so futile. He realised who was to blame wasn't the question he wanted to dwell on. He wanted the facts; he wanted to know the story.

He wanted the truth.

He walked around to the commander's side of the desk and carefully moved his remains, placing them gently on the floor. Frank made a mental note to bury him later, but turned his immediate attention to the computer. He reached into his pocket, drawing out the ID card he had been given, and slotted into the only hole it seemed to fit in, and watched as the computer immediately sprang to life.

"Ident-card confirmed. Access authorised." The computer stated. Frank leant back in the chair, breathing a sigh of relief.

Time to find out what went so wrong, he thought acridly.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-  
END OF CHAPTER 25  
-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

Thanks for reading !  
Please dont forget to review!

Take care all!


	26. Dark Echoes

**Hello Everyone!**

**First of all, a belated Merry Christmas and a late Happy New Year to you all! Second off, I apologise for my seeming non-existence on this site of late; between work, social life and illness, I haven't had much time! Still, here's chapter 26; please feel free to write a **_**constructively critical **_**review! I know the chapters of late have not been...well...the best, and I apologise; please bear with me, Im trying to tie up all the loose ends. You'll be pleased to know that, from this point on, things will start to pick up, be explained, and resolved! That's right folks; the end of the story is nearing :D  
I've already gotten half of 27 written up, and bits of 28-30, so there should be a much shorter gap between this and 27 than there was between this one and 25! Anyways, I hope you enjoy :)**

Please read and review!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Manny smiled at the irony; just as they had found a decent cave to fit everyone into, the rain lessened into a mild drizzle. Still, it felt good to be in the relative warmth and dry of the cave. He watched as the humans struggled with soaked wood, in an attempt to light a fire. Slowly, painstakingly, they succeeded, and the heat was most welcome to everyone, even though the air was intensely smoky, due to the wetness of the wood.

The mood was subdued, as one would expect from such a drenched, bedraggled and weary bunch. The warmth and sunshine of the day before seemed far removed from it all.

The possums, Mark, Peaches and Ben were already fast asleep, sprawled wherever they could fit, leaving the rest to sit around the fire. After a while, most of the sabres also retired, leaving just the herd and the humans around the fire.

Sam, wet and bedraggled, sat shivering, staring blankly into the flames.

"I sure hope Frank's ok," she murmured. Terry wrapped his arms around her, planting a gentle kiss on her head.

"He's an arrogant son of a bitch," he muttered. "And too stubborn to die at anything's hands; he'll be alright, and probably in good enough shape to be just as annoying as he always is!"

Sam chuckled, "I'm sure he thinks the same of you, my dear." She gave him a playful, yet hard, punch. "And that's for bad-mouthing my brother!"

"Worth it," Terry remarked cheekily before wrapping her even more deeply in his arms.

"We'll find out soon enough," Manny stated. "We've been travelling for four days, and for much longer than we normally would. Glacier Pass should be just around the corner."

"One would hope so!" Hudson added. "The sooner we get to the bottom of this mess, the better."

"At least we don't have Soto to worry about," Terry mused. "With the valley now a crater, it'll be months before that cat's trailin' our haunches."

Manny blinked; all this time he had assumed they could be running into Soto within weeks, only now to be told he could well be months behind them.

"Now hold on!" He said. "Why did we agree to wait for him at Glacier Pass then? If he's months behind us, we could just keep heading north!"

"Because the winter's coming," Hudson interjected. "Sooner or later, we're going to have to turn around and head back south, or we'll freeze to death," He took one look at the mammoth and quickly corrected himself. "Well, the less sizeable of us will anyway."

"I'm not fat!" Manny retorted, but no one paid him heed.

Nigel slumped where he sat, looking ruefully at the wolf. "Wonderful," he said sarcastically. "So we have a choice between heading north and dying, and heading south and potentially dying. What a horrid mess we're in!"

"Made all the more problematic by human bases, collapsing valleys and futuremen," Hudson added quietly.

Manny was reminded by the wolf's comment during the last face to face conversation he had with Frank, and the questions it had left unanswered. He looked around at the five humans now circling the fire with interest.

_Now's as good a time as any to ask, _he reasoned mentally. "Why are you all here?" He asked plainly. Sam looked at him with curiosity,

"I assume you're not asking why we're in this cave..." she insinuated.

"No, I mean why are you _here, _in the ice age," Manny quizzed. "Why did you come if you knew this could happen?"

Claire leant forward, offended. "We had no idea this could happen!" She snapped.

"Frank did," Manny stated. "He said so before he went to the complex in the valley."

Every human sat up, looking shocked. Manny shifted uncomfortably, realizing suddenly that they genuinely didn't know.

"That makes no sense," Sam muttered. "Why would he go ahead with the expedition if he knew _this _would happen?"

Claire sat silently, mulling over the question at hand. She remembered all the discussions, rows and arguments she had with him over this; she knew something was missing, some piece of the puzzle she hadn't thought to ask about.

"I don't think he went ahead with this willingly," she murmured, looking up at all the faces now staring intently back. "I think he was forced."

Sam gawped. "Forced?" She repeated incredulously. "And how did you come to _that _conclusion?"

Claire paused to recollect her thoughts, piecing together the many hints he had thrown out over the years.

"He never talked about an expedition in the early days, just after he told myself and Ben," She began. "At least not until he went on a trip for a few days to America. He was so excited about the possibilities for his discovery to change the way we studied and understood science, history and a million other fields. He saw it as a force for good," She paused, letting out a long sigh. "He came back different; angry, disappointed, disillusioned...although you wouldn't know it from his TV interviews." She smiled bleakly. "It was only after that trip he started planning the expedition. Begrudgingly at first, but he got into it eventually. All along I knew something didn't quite add up, but I let it pass; he needed my support, not my questions - the one time I did ask we had a huge row over it - but it all got so hard...especially when people started trying to kill us..."

Claire burst into tears plunging her face into her arms. Ellie immediately wrapped her trunk around her, glaring at Manny.

"Why'd you go and bring that up?" she whispered harshly.

"What?" he asked defensively. "I was only asking a question. She's overreacting!"

Ellie's eyes narrowed into slits. "I think its time you go for a walk Manny; you've done enough here," she muttered through gritted teeth. "And you'd better have a decent apology when you're back."

Manny wanted to argue, defend his position and apologize all at the same time, but he knew that the look she was giving him meant she'd brook none of it.

"Fine," He huffed as he stood up. "I'll be back later."

Everyone watched him leave in a silence broken only by Claire's sobbing. To everyone's surprise, Hudson stood up and began to go after him.

"Where are you going?" Ellie asked in a tone much harsher than she intended.

"To go talk to him," the wolf replied. "And to help him with that apology."

Ellie's mood shifted a little and she smiled. _"_Thanks James," She mussitated. "You're a good friend."

Hudson smiled, nodded, and left.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

To Manny's relief, the rain had stopped and the sky had cleared, a half moon hanging in the starry sky above him. He walked to a nearby pool and stared at the stars, regretting his decision to ever open his mouth. But he knew his questions still hadn't been answered, and he still had a nagging feeling that everything unusual he had seen was connected to the humans now a part of his herd...

"Well done Manfred, that was a _spectacular_ show you just put on!" Hudson said sarcastically as he came alongside him. "Maybe for the encore you could proceed to insult their parents, or better yet just simply accuse them of genocide...oh wait, you've already _done_ that one!" He made a mock gesture of apology. "Silly me, what was I _thinking_!"

"What do you want," Manny asked gruffly; he was in no mood to put up with the wolf's cruel sense of humour.

"I'm here to help you with your problem," Hudson stated plainly. Manny looked askance at him.

"I don't have the problem, she does!" He spluttered. "She overreacted!"

Hudson looked at him menacingly. "Do you even _realise _what you insinuated back there?" He spat, pointing in the direction of they had come from. "You just accused them of causing everything we've seen; all the chaos and destruction, _and_ the destruction of the meltdown valley."

"I didn't say that!" He shouted back. "I was asking why Frank and these people came here knowing full well this could happen!"

"That's not how I heard it," Hudson retorted. "On that night I distinctly heard him say he had no choice."

Manny looked at him furiously. "You were eavesdropping?" He growled. "You spied on us!"

"And you are distorting the truth," Hudson snapped. "Both to others and yourself. Which one's worse?"

"I'm not distorting anything!" Manny spat defensively.

"Oh really?" Hudson prodded. "Claire just suggested Frank was forced into leading this expedition - a claim backed up by what he said to you - and you _still_ think they're to blame for this?" He let out a cold laugh. "Face it Manny, you _want _to believe they're guilty! you _want_ to blame them for all that's happened."

Manny lunged at him, pressing him up against the wall with his tusks. Hudson yelped as the wind was smacked out of him by the sheer ferocity of the impact.

"How dare you!" Manny growled, pressing his tusks harder into the wolf. "They are my friends! I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them! They saved us!"

"Then why do you think he's guilty of this?" The wolf grouched, barely able to breathe.

"Because it fits!" Manny bellowed.

Hudson looked at him and grimaced, but could breathe a little more easily as Manny let off a little in sheer surprise.

He couldn't believe what he just said. As his voice echoed off the walls, he listened to it with growing shock. Without a word, he let go of Hudson and sat down, his own voice rolling through his head.

"I can't believe I just said that," he muttered.

"I can," Hudson wheezed. "Because I can tell that's what you've been thinking deep down all along, and _that's _your problem Manny." The wolf moved right up to the mammoth's face, still panting. "You are so wrapped up in your own problems you refuse to see that these humans are just as scared and frightened of what they've seen as you are, and they have come on an expedition that their _own leader_ didn't want to embark on." His gaze softened slightly as he saw the reality sinking into Manny. "What you failed to realise is that we are all in the same boat; they were forced here, just as you have been forced here by Soto. We are all refugees in this God-damned mess." He took one last look at Manny before he started to walk back in the direction of the cave. "And remember _that_ the next time you want to accuse them. Enjoy your walk, Manfred."

Manny was left alone, with Hudson's words reverberating in his mind, to stare at the starry sky in the reflection of the pool and to think.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The sun rose slowly above the cliffs, though slightly concealed by the early morning mist. As the herd woke up, everybody noticed - with alarm - that Manny hadn't returned. Panicked, Ellie rushed outside, calling Manny's name with greater urgency. Woken by her cries, everyone moved outside and joined in the search for the pachyderm. With every shout, Ellie became more and more distraught, tears streaking down her face.

"I shouldn't have been so hard on him," Ellie quivered. "What if he's hurt? Or in trouble? What have I done..."

Sam and Claire both came alongside her, comforting her.

"I'm sure he's fine," Sam said gently. "We'll find him soon enough."

Sam stepped away from Ellie for a moment, grabbing the radio from her pocket. "Sam to Manny," she said into it. "Manny do you read me?"

She waited for a reply but none came.

She looked over at Hudson, who was keenly sniffing the air, trying to pick up a fresh scent.

"James, where did you leave him last night?" She asked.

Hudson snapped round, looking distractedly at her.

"By the lake, ten minutes walk from here," He replied. "I'll go and have a look."

Sam nodded and watched as the wolf sprinted out of sight.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Yet another day had passed uneventfully at Fort Halstead. Whilst Sid and Buck had virtually vanished, spending much of their day in the base's cinema, lapping up the seemingly infinite number of films they had to choose from, Diego decided to go in search of their equally absent fourth member, following Frank's scent. He weaved through the numerous corridors, finally entering the control centre.

A shiver went down the sabre's spine as memories of Rudy's attack floated back, so similar did the room look to him. He shook the thoughts away and continued tracking, eventually walking into a room like he had never seen before. He looked at the pictures on the wall, marvelling at how _life-like _they looked.

_They've sure come a long way from cave drawings! _He mused. He looked round further and found Frank at the desk, face planted on it's surface, in a deep sleep.

The smilodon smiled slightly. "Evening, Frank!" He said loudly.

Frank jerked up, staring blearily at his surroundings. Diego grinned even more as a piece of paper remained stuck to the human's face.

"I'm up!" He blurted automatically. "Sorry Claire, I must have worked lat..." Frank stopped as he took account of his surroundings, eyes landing on Diego, who seemed massively amused by the statement. He blinked and wiped his eyes and stretched his arms. "What time is it?" He murmured.

"The sun's gone down," Diego replied. "You missed breakfast, lunch...well, practically _everything,_ buddy."

Frank rubbed his face, brushing the paper back onto the desk. "Sorry," He muttered. "I didn't intend to. I got...distracted."

The sabre could sense something was wrong; even though he was groggy, he could see a stony, perturbed look in the human's eyes.

"Is everything aright, Frank?" He asked.

Frank planted his face in his hands, massaging the bags under his eyes. He let out a mirthless, disturbing laugh.

"Not exactly," He said plainly, leaning back in his chair. "Not in the slightest really..." He looked Diego squarely in the eyes. "I've found out what happened here," Frank murmured. "And why..."

"Ok," Diego replied. "What happened?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

To Hudson's surprise, he found Manny in exactly the same place he had left him the night before, still sitting on the ground and staring into the water.

"Manny!" Hudson said in relief. "Thank God! We've been looking everywhere for you; Ellie's been so worried!"

Manny remained motionless, still staring into the water. The wolf moved closer, looking more and more concerned. "Manny?" He asked gently.

The mammoth let out a deep sigh before turning to face Hudson. The wolf could see sorrow in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," He mumbled. "You were right; I was so ea..."

"Save the apology," Hudson interjected. "I'm not the one who needs to hear it. Come on, let's get back to the others."

Manny nodded and gingerly followed the wolf.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Relief flooded everyone when they saw Hudson return with the wayward mammoth.

"Manny!" Ellie cried, rushing headlong at her mate, embracing him as warmly as she could. "I was so worried! Why didn't you come back?"

Manny returned the hug, "I needed time to think," he replied. As soon as Ellie let go, he walked across to the humans, pondering how to frame his words as he did so.

"I owe you an apology..." He began.

"No you don't," Claire said softly, smiling. "I know you didn't mean it..." Manny shook his head.

"No, I really do," he said, cutting her off. He took a deep breath.

"My first mate...and my son...were killed by humans. Whilst Pinky helped me move on from that, I've never trusted humans because of it. I was quick to blame you guys for all of this because I couldn't see past my own hurt to see that you're just as confused and worried and scared about all this as I am. You've... saved my family more times than I can _count_, and you have been so good to us that you're practically family to all of us, _especially_ Peaches. You've done nothing but good, and I repaid you with suspicion. Claire, I'm sorry." He looked all the humans in the eye. "I'm sorry to all of you."

Claire was in tears once more. She wrapped her arms around Manny's neck and squeezed.

"Oh Manny," She fumbled. "Thank you. For what it's worth, you are among one of the most noble and honest people I've ever known. Thank you..."

Neither of them could find any more words to say, but they didn't need to; Manny knew his apology was accepted, and he knew something much deeper had happened. At long last, he had found the words, the place, the _time _to forgive humanity and truly move on. Deep down, he knew that would be what his first mate, and his son, would want... He gave the human one last big tug with his trunk, trying desperately to hide the fact his eyes were welling up.

Slowly, the tangled mass of human and mammoth disconnected, both quickly rubbing their eyes. Hudson, Ellie and Sam all met each other's gazes, smiling as they did so.

"Right, um," Manny mumbled, embarrassed by his sudden show of emotion. "We should probably, er, get going."

Ellie chuckled. "Sure thing, big guy!" She glanced over at Hudson and the sabres. "Guys, you care to lead the way?"

Hudson bowed, still smiling. "With pleasure, ma'am."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"No!" Diego bellowed. "That can't be right! It shouldn't be right, it _isn't _right!"

"I'm sorry but it's the only thing that fits," Frank said flatly, keeping his gaze on the tiger, who now paced frantically around the office. "Believe me, I've checked the sources over and over again..."

"Well check them again!" Diego growled desperately. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He didn't _want _to believe what he was hearing. Frank seemed calm, though Diego sensed that it may well be that he was simply numb beyond caring.

"There's one sure fire way of proving my theory," Frank muttered quietly. Diego stopped pacing and looked at him intently.

"Then do it!" Diego replied angrily. Both of them knew he wasn't angry at Frank, and the human took it accordingly.

"All right then," Frank stated. He got out of the chair, having to stretch as he did so. "Follow me."

Diego followed the human absentmindedly, Frank's theory rattling through his mind, even his very soul. He refused to believe it. He hoped that Frank was wrong, that he made a mistake, or overlooked something..._anything..._

Before long, Frank had led him into a gigantic warehouse, filled with trucks much like the battered one they had arrived in. At the end of the room stood a large, hulking disc surrounded by reams and reams of technology that Diego had never seen before. Frank walked up to the machine, eventually edging towards one of the larger computers that were strapped onto the massive machine and started typing wildly. Streams of data flowed across the screen, Frank reading it emotionlessly. For what felt like hours, Diego paced back and forth, his eyes fixed keenly on the motionless human. He suddenly froze; underneath the hum of the machine, he could hear sounds..._voices _even. Even as he glanced over at Frank, still unmoving from the computer, he quickly jerked around as yet more voices screamed faintly, as if heard only through a long tunnel,

_Oh no...it's happening..._

_Set the base for twenty minutes...  
We're too close...WE'RE TOO CLOSE!_

"You can hear them too, can't you." Frank stated, not taking his eyes off of the screen. Diego knew it wasn't a question, and merely nodded.

"What are they?" Diego asked.

Frank didnt immediately reply; in fact he gave Diego no hint at all that he had even heard him.  
Just as the sabre was getting ready to ask again, Frank finally spoke up,  
"I have had to partially activate the machine to run the diagnostic," He muttered. "The voices we are hearing are snippets being picked up from another time to which this time machine seems to be linked." He looked over at Diego and smiled slightly. "Ghost voices, if you will."

Diego looked more perturbed,  
"Then why do the voices sound like us?" Diego asked. Frank shot a disturbed glance over at Diego. The sabre could tell that the human was horrified at the realisation, but a series of noises from the machine distracted him.

"The diagnostic still has about fifteen minutes to run," Frank finally muttered, eyes still glued to the screen. "But I can see enough information here to see that its sustained a lot of damage, but it is still stable for travel, which means it can be used," He turned to Diego and stared blankly. "This machine is still working, so there's no other explanation."

Diego visibly deflated in dismay but quickly regained his composure, albeit begrudgingly. "Should we tell Buck and Sid?" He asked stonily.

Frank shook his head. "Let them enjoy what time of happy ignorance they left," he muttered. "They'll find out soon enough."

Diego nodded, clearly showing he didn't agree. "Ok then, when will you tell then?" He quizzed pointedly.

Frank sighed, rubbing his eyes. "I'll tell them when everyone else gets here," he grumbled. "I'm not going to repeat it over and over again."

"But why wait?" Diego retorted. "Maybe we could come up with a plan..."

Frank slammed his fist suddenly into the nearest solid surface a massive thump,

"There is nothing we can do!" He yelled.  
Diego took a step back in consternation; he had never seen Frank with the look he now had in his eyes. The usual warmth and friendliness in Frank's eyes had been replaced with coldness. In that brief moment Diego could almost have believed Frank saw him as an enemy.

"What do you think could happen?" Frank snapped. "That somehow Buck and Sid will come up with some bloody ingenious plan and all will be well? What the hell are you thinki..." The human closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. He looked again at Diego with a calm, yet fiery intensity. "No Diego," He said in a forcibly flat tone. "There is nothing we can do but wait." _And pray._ He added mentally.

Diego scowled, his gaze quickly hardening. "Alright," He murmured. "But I don't think it's right that they should be kept in the dark."

"So you would want them to feel the same way we do now?" Frank pressed. "No. Leave them be," Frank sighed, regaining some of his composure. " There's plenty of time left for groping in sackcloth and ashes."

Diego watched as Frank leant against the side of the machine, silently sliding to the floor in pure resignation. He sighed, eventually sitting next to the human. He tried to find the right words to say, but none came. They sat there in silence, waiting for the other to speak.

Frank chuckled harshly. "I told them this could happen," he muttered distantly. "I actually even _cited _this as a potential effect of their plans."

Diego shot him a curious glance. "What?" Was all he could manage. Frank looked at him wearily and sighed.

"It can wait," he muttered. He paused briefly. "I'm so sorry, Diego. We dragged you all into this mess..."

"Don't apologize for that, Frank," Diego interjected. "You have earned the trust, and gained the love, of this herd. I know I can speak for all of the others when I say we don't regret the past few months," He said, smiling. "Not one second."

Frank smiled, the usual warmth slowly returning, and placed his hand firmly on Diego's shoulder and squeezed. He was too worn to even try to hide the fact his eyes were welling up.

"Truth be told," Frank admitted. "Even though we're in this god awful mess, I don't regret it either. It's better to have..."

"_Frank, Diego, can you 'ear me?" _ Buck's voice blurted from Frank's jacket pocket. Surprised, he pulled out his radio.

"Frank here, what is it Buck?" He asked.

"The computer's just warned us of something comin' our way," Buck replied. "And it's almost 'ere mate."

Frank and Diego shared a glance. "Could that be the herd?" He asked. Diego shook his head in dismay.

"Not unless they've been travelling day and night," He replied. Frank closed his eyes.

"Somehow, I knew you were gonna say that," He murmured.

He pressed the radio to his face. "Buck, get Sid and meet us by our truck, we might have company."

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-  
END OF CHAPTER 26  
-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

Thanks for reading all! Please do review :)

See you at chapter 27, till then, take care y'all!


	27. The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men

**Hello Everyone!**

**Thank you all for the positive reviews of chapter 26! As always, please read and feel free to leave a review! If you wish to include a critique, I thank you greatly, and ask only that it be **_**constructive **_**if you do!**

**This is a long chapter, and much gets explained (or at least revealed) so I hope it meets your expectations!  
Without further ado, to the chapter...**

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

"I see something!"

Manny peered through the darkness, trying to make out the sabres that led their herd. The rain once more pelted down on them relentlessly, even harder than the day before. Carefully, Manny picked up his pace, sloshing through the mud to get to the front, slowing down whenever he nearly hit another member of the herd.

_I wish I could see in the dark, _Manny grumbled to himself. Slowly, but surely, he made it to the front, and came alongside the sabres.

"What do you see?" He asked eagerly. One of the sabres pointed to the sky beyond the hill. As Manny looked at the strange distant glow, he was perplexed. He could make out the sabre giving him a confused glance,

"The sun set only two hours ago!" He muttered. "It can't be mornin' yet!"

Hudson paused and grinned,

"That's not the sun!" He shouted ahead. "That's artificial light!"

Manny shot him a nonplussed look,

"Arta-wha?" He stuttered.

"Human technology!" Hudson replied gleefully. "We're almost there!"

The sabre grinned,

"Finally!"

Terry, Manny, Hudson and the sabre all halted, staring at the sight in the distance.

"Why have we stopped?" Claire quizzed, having trudged up through the mud from the back of the herd.

Terry pointed to the sky and smirked,

"Look familiar?" He said insinuatingly. Claire gasped, and then grinned,

"Light pollution!" She exclaimed. "Boy am I glad to see that!"

Hudson smirked,

"I bet that's the first time, and quite possibly the _last_ time thatwill ever be said!" He quipped.

Claire, suddenly beside herself with excitement, started to run ahead, as much as the mud would allow.

"Come on guys!" She called back. "Hurry up!"

Manny and Hudson shared an amused glance,

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." The wolf mused.

"Wha?" Manny replied.

"It means 'move or Claire will kick all of our collective arses'."

Terry shot Hudson an odd look,

"Since when have you known human poetry?" He asked.

Hudson gave him a knowing smile, before trotting off after Claire,

"Humans aren't the only ones with civilisation, Colonel!" He shouted back. Terry was unconvinced.

He waited until everyone passed, until just he and Manny remained.

"That wolf ain't telling us somethin'." He grunted.

"What makes you say that?" Manny asked.

"I may not have brains like Frank an' the others, but my gut tells me he's hiding something," He looked up at Manny intently. "Something he don't want us to know."

As the two of them started moving, Manny pondered this. Just days ago, he hadn't questioned the wolf's story about what had happened in the valley, but now that he thought about it he realised how _little _about what he had divulged couldn't have just been picked up by hearsay.

_What if he's lying?_

The thought caught Manny off guard, and it troubled him deeply, purely because it could be true. Perturbed and confused, he proceeded to catch up with the herd.

_Sometime soon I'm gonna have a talk with that wolf, _he noted mentally.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Manny stood at the foot of Glacier Pass and paused. The Pass he saw before him bore almost no resemblance to the one seared into his memory; gone was the ice and snow that once covered it, replaced by mud strewn with all the hallmarks of death and destruction. As he turned his attention to the ground before him, he could make out what appeared to be a flimsily built barricade, complete with gate and what remained of a strange tall box-like structure on one side of it. He was confused; he didn't see any imposing base anywhere, nor did he see Sid, Diego or the others.

"What are we looking at?" He asked, genuinely unsure what he was to make of it all.

"It's a checkpoint," Terry mumbled, slinging his rifle off of his shoulder. "But this don't make sense."

"Why?" Manny asked. Terry looked ambivalently at him,

"The guy in the recording said this place was taken by another faction." He stated.

"And?" The mammoth said, nonplussed.

"Do ya see any guards?" Terry asked.

"Of course not!" Manny stated. Terry looked up grimly,

"Exactly," He muttered. "Something ain't right here."

As Sam picked her way through the rubble of the box-like building, inspecting everything casually until she came across a sign that caught her attention. As she picked it up and inspected it more closely, before promptly dropping it. Slowly she scanned the debris, looking more and more perturbed.

"You can say that again," she murmured. "Come on, let's get to the base."

Manny took one last look at the ruins with a feigned nonchalant look, betraying none of the thoughts that flickered through his head. As they passed through the remains of the perimeter, his mind's eye cast back to the last time he was there. As memories of Pinky, Sid and Diego surfaced, his heart sank a little; whereas joy, both fully bounded and bittersweet, punctuated those memories, their current predicament was very different. They were still on the run, fleeing the same psychopathic tiger as before, only through hellish versions of places he knew so well, dodging death and collapsing cliffs...

He missed the simpler days, when the world made sense and the ground stayed under his feet.

Drifting back into reality, he was almost stunned at the sharp contrast between his memories and his present as the base's seemingly towering walls came into view. He looked over at the humans with a slightly withering stare,

"Don't you people do anything _small?"_ He asked. "I mean, come on, what's the use in having such a huge..."

His sentence was cut off firmly as the jarring noise of gunfire filled the air. Suddenly, parts of the cliff face and the rocks dotted across the Pass exploded into debris as bullets slammed into them.

"TAKE COVER!" Terry screamed as he jumped behind the nearest rock outcrop. Everyone threw themselves behind any rocks they could, Hudson narrowly missing several bullets as he did so.

As yet more suppressing fire fell in their direction, no one dared move. In a brief lull, Terry slung his rifle over the outcrop, firing blindly in any forwards direction he could find. Mark took a quick glance over the rock, quickly making out a human, tiger and a truck at the entrance to the base. As two bullets scratched the rock's surface just inches from his face, he flinched back behind cover.

"Why are they firing at us!" He screamed to no one in particular. "We're not their..." He trailed off as he looked where they had come from. Out of nowhere, panic flooded through him like a wild fire.  
"RUN!" He bellowed, diving out of cover.

"Mark you idiot!" Terry shouted. "Get back under cover! They're firing at us!"

"NOT AT US!" He screamed back, pointing behind them. "THEM!"

Manny, still ducking as more bullets slammed into the rock he hid behind, watched as Terry and Hudson shared a confused glance, looked behind them, and instantly started running after Mark.

"GET TO THE BASE!" Terry screamed. "Get to the base!"

One by one, everyone turned around and promptly fled in the direction of the base and the gunfire, the humans in their herd actually firing in the direction which they had come. Manny, stubborn as always, was the last to look. But when he did he was filled with confused terror, and quickly broke out into a mammoth sprint. Every so often he looked back, dodging bullets that he now knew weren't aimed at him, but at the army that stood behind them. Manny could make out hundreds of animals, including sabres and even mammoths, all of them charging towards them. But the more he looked, the more he grew terrified as he suddenly realised he could see _through _them.

_A ghost army!_

As the thought raced through his panicked mind, he ran through the gate, dodging Frank and Buck as he did so. The humans and Buck continued to fire, with Sid firing off several deafening rounds with the minigun.

But then, almost as soon as it had started, the gunfire stopped, all trace of the army on the hill seemingly gone. Heaving for air and pulsing with adrenaline, Manny very nearly collapsed under the exhaustion his sprint had caused him.

"What was that!" He asked loudly. To his consternation, no one seemed able to reply.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Even though they hadn't seen each other for weeks, no one moved, or even acknowledged each other beyond what was needed for defence. The humans and Buck stood by the sides of the gate, aiming their weapons firmly outwards, with the sabres forming the centre. Minutes passed, and yet nothing could be seen. Cautiously, Hudson proceeded forward to scope it out. The silence weighed heavy as the wolf disappeared over the hill that stood at the southern entrance to the pass, minutes passing with no one moving. The radio noises that followed seemed almost deafening, more so the wolf's voice,

"There's nothing here," He said over the radio. "Whatever that was, it's gone now."

The whole group exploded into confused chatter, with the exception of Frank and Diego. As everyone asked how an army could vanish into thin air, all they did was share a worried look. Without saying a word, both of them made their way through the huddled mass, quickly breaking out into a run towards the hangar as soon as they could. Weaving their way frantically through the rows of vehicles, they kept telling themselves it couldn't be what they thought it was...they _hope_d it wasn't. Almost slamming into the machine in his haste to stop, Frank plunged his fingers onto the keyboard. Within moments he stopped in stunned silence. Slowly, he turned his head to Diego, who looked anxiously at him.

"The diagnostic ended seven minutes ago," Frank stated flatly. Diego visibly sank once more,

"So what we saw was real." He replied. Frank nodded slightly. The sabre glanced behind him, quickly snapping back to the human. "When is that army from?"

Frank turned back to the computer, inputting more queries.

"If this is correct, then that's what will be waiting for us in..." He trailed off, before cursing under his breath.

"What is it?" Diego asked urgently. But Frank didn't answer, instead tapping furiously, cursing everytime he got cut off by foreboding beeps coming from the machine. He even tried to use the keycard he had in his pocket, but to no effect. Eventually, he slammed his fist on the computer in frustration, before turning around.

"The machine's damaged, and the safety subroutines have kicked in."

"Meaning?" Diego said, nonplussed.

"Meaning, it's _locked _to that time frame," Frank grumbled. "Which means that, even if we wanted to use it to go to another time, we'd have to go there first."

Diego looked both discomfited and confused,

"But _when_ is there?" He pressed.

"Eight months time." Frank muttered. He looked over at Diego forlornly, eventually realising the irony of the situation. "It was one of the protective features I built in after an...incident..." He stated. The puzzled expression that grew on Diego's face spurred him to continue.

"If it gets damaged someone can key in a timeframe where minimal damage could be caused and it would lock to that timeframe till the repairs are done...and apparently they kept it, with some alterations. The problem for us is that we just saw what will be waiting for us then."

To Frank's amazement, Diego visibly brightened. He shot the sabre a quizzical look.

"Eight months is a long time," Diego stated, smiling as he did so. "That's plenty of time to prepare." He blinked, suddenly registering curiosity.

"What a minute," He muttered. "Who decided on eight months time?" Now it was Frank's turn to look bemused. Diego sighed; for all his moments of intelligence, Frank seemed easily confused. "If someone had to decide on that time, then who decided eight months?"

Frank smirked,

"Good question," He glanced at the machine, lowering his voice as if talking to it. "If only I knew the answer."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Outside the excitable chatter died down, and the herd began to welcome back those it had lost weeks ago. As Frank and Diego rejoined them, the human immediately embraced his wife, whilst Diego found himself being very nearly floored by an overjoyed Mark. A trickle of speaking turned into a flood once more, as both sides of herd quickly got to chatting and laughing. Eventually, the four who had just rejoined turned their attention to Terry, Charlie and the sabres that stood beside them. They could tell by the herd's lack of fear - and by the fact they hadn't tried to kill them yet - that something had changed since the last time they had seen all of them at Porcupine Gorge. But that didn't lessen their surprise at seeing them.

Claire, now standing beside the two groups, merely smiled,

"I take it you remember them?" She said cheekily. "Allow me to introduce the latest rebels from Soto's pack."

Frank looked at them suspiciously, not saying a word for several moments. All other conversations quickly died down, everyone's attention turning to the two humans. Claire, Sam and Manny exchanged nervous glances and prepared themselves to break up a fight. But then, to their immense relief, Frank smiled slightly, walked up to Terry and extended his hand.

"Good to see you've come to your senses," Frank said, smiling slightly more. "Welcome to the herd, Colonel Daniels."

Terry smirked back, taking his hand forcefully.

"Well, you know, being from such a freedom lovin' country an' all, it was only a matter of time before I rebelled against a tyrant or two," He replied, his smirk turning into a full blown grin. "This doesn't make us friends again, boss; I still think you're a pompous ass."

Frank chuckled,

"The feeling's mutual, though I'm certainly happy in the knowledge that you're fighting with us and not against us! I may not rate you highly as a human, but you are a damn good fighter." Both gripped each other's hands tightly, laughing all the more.

Manny looked on the two laughing humans with abject confusion. He turned to Sam, who likewise was smiling,

"I don't get you humans sometimes," He said. "They're insulting each other and laughing as they do it. What gives?"

Sam chuckled, giving the mammoth a pat on the trunk,

"They've always had an...interesting...relationship," She looked the mammoth in the eyes and grinned,

"My advice is just to roll with it, and be thankful guns aren't involved!"

Buck, looking on, grinned,

"Ah, 'appy families reunited," He said wistfully. "Now, 'oo's 'ungry?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

They plundered the food stores, dragging as much as they could carry up to the mess hall, which had already started to look and feel more and more like a party was going on. The herd sat around the long tables they found there and consumed dozens of kinds of foods, many for the first time. Very quickly, tongues started wagging and it wasn't long before the halls echoed with the sounds of laughter. Even though they still faced many challenges, it was hard not to celebrate. Frank pushed everything to the back of his mind, determined to enjoy the occasion. He had even borrowed a few bottles he had spotted in the commander's office, and proceeded to pass out full glasses of wine to everyone. He held Claire close and grinned as he raised his glass,

"To the herd!" He shouted joyfully, "And the fact we are all still very much alive, despite collapsing valleys, ghost armies and a psychopathic tiger who has repeatedly failed to kill us!"

"And here's to many more years of life!" Claire quickly added.

"Hear hear!" The humans in the group shouted back, before taking a decent swig from their glasses. Bemused, Manny shot Ellie a look, but she merely chuckled.

"I guess it's a human thing! Still, it looks like fun," She whispered to him, before grabbing the glass with her trunk and lifting it into the air. "Hear hear!"

She then downed the whole thing, immediately breaking out into a coughing fit.

"Hoo boy! That stuff is _strong_!" She said as she coughed and laughed intermittently. All the same, she lifted her glass and looked at Frank. "You mind if I have some more please?"

Manny couldn't help but laugh; as he looked about the crowded hall, he could see none of the gloom that had gripped them recently, only happiness. He turned back to the glass that lay before him and picked it up with his trunk carefully, so as not to break it. As he eyed the red liquid within it curiously Sam leant over, beaming brightly.

"It's wine," She said. "Try some!"

Slowly, cautiously, he took a sip, almost dropping the glass as his mouth was filled with nutty and fruity flavours, leaving a nice warmth in his throat.

"Wow..." He exclaimed, taking another sip. "This stuff is actually good!"

Sam chuckled,

"Glad you like it!"

Hudson leant forward, taking a swig from his glass, and looked at the four who had just rejoined them,

"So, Mr. Howard..." He began. Frank swiftly raised his hand,

"Please, call me Frank." He insisted. The wolf smiled,

"Alright then, Frank!" He said. "What's your journey been like?"

"Collapsing valleys, medical bays, the odd gun fight...the usual really." Diego replied wryly. Buck chuckled,

"Oi! Let's not be giving the impression we 'ad all the fun!" He protested, grinning. "Me an' Sid 'ad to sit around fer days waiting for you two!"

Sam sat up, paying the weasel no heed, looking at the sabre with intrigue,

"Gun fights!" She replied incredulously. Terry hit the table in mock anger,

"Dang it, I joined the wrong half of the herd!" He shouted to raucous laughter from Charlie and the sabres. Manny and Claire leant forward with interest,

"How could you have a gun fight if the base was empty?" Manny quizzed.

Frank paused and looked into his cup. His smile lessened somewhat as he remembered the man who now lay buried outside. He glanced over at the corner where he died, still seeing traces of his blood.

"It wasn't empty," He said quietly as he turned back. "Someone tried to attack us not long after we got here."

All other conversations immediately died down. Claire looked at her husband in surprise,

"Attacked? By who?" She asked.

"One of the survivors of woteva 'appened 'ere," Buck chipped in. "'e thought we were some other bunch that went by the name..."

"...of the Western Coalition," Frank said, finishing the weasel's sentence. He drained the dregs from his cup and looked down the table at everyone. "He thought we were soldiers sent to kill any survivors we found in the base," He looked down thoughtfully into his empty glass.

"In short, it was a horrible misunderstanding." He murmured.

"But he nearly shot Sid!" Diego said loudly. "You can't say he didn't have it coming."

Frank nodded slightly as he refilled his glass.

"True," He admitted. "But it doesn't change the reality."

Terry, Hudson, Manny and Sam all shared intrigued glances.

"Funny you should say that," Terry murmured. "Cos we've found some stuff about a war too."

"Oh?" Frank said, intrigued.

Terry nodded, "We found a cave that had six skeletons in it, and this," He pulled the Dictaphone out of his pocket, sliding it down the table in Frank's direction who promptly picked it up and examined it. "Luckily for us, it was only on standby."

"It gets worse," Manny continued. "The human speaking on it started talking of death on a scale like I've never heard before."

"World War Three," Hudson stated. When Terry shot him an inquisitive look, he quickly added, "Is what the good colonel here called it."

-x-x-x-x-

As Frank examined the device, he removed the back cover, staring at its innards intently. Alarm bells started ringing in Frank's mind; he had seen enough of the base technology's inner workings to see a problem. He had no doubts about the authenticity of what the device recorded, but alarm bells still rang.

"It's not fusion powered." He said in surprise. Manny curved one of his eyebrows in confusion,

"What's that got to do with anything?" He asked.

Frank looked up and made a gesture, one that encompassed the base.

"Everything else here is fusion powered," He stated. "Even the trucks and the time machine are fusion powered, and that means they could theoretically run forever. But this," He lifted the dictaphone up. "This thing isn't."

"And?" Manny quizzed, still not understanding.

"This shouldn't be working," Frank explained. "Even if left on standby, the batteries should have drained within a few months at best."

Terry sat up,

"That's not possible," He retorted. "The bodies there had already decayed into skeletons, boss. They'd have to have been there at least a year, probably more."

"Then this cannot have been left by them." Frank said bluntly.

Sam looked askance at her brother,

"What are you implying?" She demanded.

Frank didn't reply, instead sharing a glance with Diego. The sabre's eyes widened in confusion at the human's stare, but before he could object, every pair of eyes had been trained on him, each expecting an answer.

"What is it?" Manny demanded. Diego let out a sigh,

"Alright," He muttered. "Earlier today, Frank told me that he could find only one theory to fit all the facts about...this," He pointed up at the ceiling, indicating the base. "And about everything that's happened...I didn't take the news all that well, and demanded him to prove it. So we went over to the time machine and he did his...tapping thing..."

"Typing." Frank interjected rapidly.

"Typing thing," Diego quickly corrected. "And proved his theory right. But there was something odd about it..." He trailed off slightly, eyes slightly glazing over. Eventually he shook his head in confusion. "You know what, Frank, I haven't got a clue what you said really, so maybe you should take it from here."

Once more, all eyes shifted to Frank, impatience mixing in with the curiosity.

"The machine is damaged," Frank explained. "And one of my own safety subroutines have kicked in; to stop it from going bezerk and causing untold damage, a user can key in a specific timeframe to lock the machine to, so that it can only cause damage at that time," He blushed slightly. "Actually, I designed it after a little..._mishap_...with one of the earlier prototypes."

Claire shot him an odd look,

"You mean the time you nearly blew up the house?" She quizzed, smirking cheekily. Everyone chuckled slightly as Frank nodded his head.

"The very same," He said with a smile, before trailing back into a more thoughtful tone. "But the problem is that someone has already keyed in a timeframe," He looked up at everyone. "And it's locked into eight months time."

Ellie breathed a sigh of relief and smiled,

"That doesn't sound so bad," Ellie said cheerfully. But as she looked again at Frank and Diego she grew less certain. "...right?"

"Actually, it _is_ bad," Frank replied. He took a deep breath, putting all of his thoughts together. "Because the ghost army we saw today...is an echo, created by a partial merging of our time and that one," He paused, seeing the reality hit home on the faces of all present. "That army will be waiting for us, if we switch on the time machine."

"Well then, wot's the problem!" Buck said sharply. "We simply don't switch it on then! There ain't a need to switch it on, so why bother?"

"Actually, there is a need." Frank replied.

-x-x-x-x-

The herd waited on him to continue, but he remained silent, looking gloomier and distant by the second. Manny's hair stood on end the more he looked at the human; he knew the look of a bearer of bad news when he saw it.

"What is it?" He asked nervously. Frank let out a long sigh, and rubbed his eyes as he did so.

"This whole timeline is based on events that haven't happened yet," he muttered as he planted his chin onto his thumbs, steepling his index fingers whilst clasping the rest of his hands. "...the truth is, history doesn't record the expedition ever making it _back_ to the twenty first century."

"WHAT!" Every other human - and, to Terry's interest, Hudson - exclaimed in unison.

"But what does that mean!" Mark asked urgently.

"It means..." Frank said slowly. "...since the only known functioning time machine is _here_ that, sooner or later, we will switch it on to go back to the future...and never make it back."

The mood suddenly darkened. No one could believe what they were hearing, much less want to believe it.

"We die!" Claire exclaimed.

Frank slumped slightly, shutting his eyes.

"...yes." He stated.

Manny gasped, looking down fearfully at his daughter. Wide eyed, he glared back at Frank,

"What does this mean for the rest of us?" He asked.

"As far as I can tell..._none_ of us will be alive in eight months." Frank said, slumping fully into his chair in resignation.

Manny suddenly pulsed with fear as the room exploded into confused and angry conversation.

"How can you say that so calmly!" He said hysterically. "You just told us we're all going to die!"

"What would you rather I did!" Frank shot back. "Wail and curse at the sky for all our misfortunes?"

"YES!" Manny shouted. "At least that would show you cared! Better than just sitting there feeling all sorry for yourself!"

Incensed, Frank got out of his seat. But before he could say or do anything, Hudson stood up as tall as he could,

"Will everyone just stop!" He bellowed. The room immediately silenced, staring at him. "No one is going to die!"

Manny snorted in incredulity,

"And how exactly do you know that, wolfie?" He spat. "What do you know that we don't?"

"A great deal, actually," Hudson replied. "More than you think."

Manny glanced over at Terry, who shot him a clearly understood look back;

_Told you so._

"Who are you, James?" Terry challenged. Hudson merely smiled,

"The answer, or at least the beginning of it, has been under your noses the whole time." He said calmly.

"What?" Manny and Terry spluttered. Hudson chuckled under his breath,

"What's my name, Manny?" He asked. Manny was taken aback by the strangeness of the question.

"James Hudson," He replied cautiously. "But what's that got to do with anything?"

Hudson smiled, quickly raising his paw,

"Any other animal that has two names, please raise your paw!" He paused, scanning the room. He smiled all the more widely as everyone stayed still. He turned back to Manny, assuming an air of nonchalance. "Well, that pretty much proves my point now, doesn't it."

To Manny it proved nothing, barring the possibility of the wolf having such an ego that he needed two names. But as he looked at the humans, he saw an entirely different response, one that caught Manny by surprise; they were shocked.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Stunned, Frank fell back into his seat. He looked at the wolf suspiciously, in a way he had never done before.

"Why do you have two names?" He asked quietly.

"Because one of them, Frank, is a _surname_." Hudson replied.

Frank shook his head vehemently,

"Not possible," He countered. "Surnames didn't even _exist_ till the middle ages."

Hudson rolled his eyes slightly,

"Fine then, I shall have to spell it out," He mumbled in exasperation. "My name is James Hudson, born to David and Millie Hudson on August the ninth, twentytwentyeight, at Pembury hospital near Tunbridge Wells. I was raised an Anglican and went to Bennett Memorial Secondary School, where I studied for my GCSEs, after which I entered the army and studied at Sandringham, eventually joining the Brigadier Guards in service of His Majesty the King, William the fifth. I was then promoted to be a liaison officer of the United Nations Temporal Commission," He glanced over at Sam. "Headed no less by a certain Secretary-General Samantha Daniels, on whose orders I am here," He turned to Frank again. "Is that enough information for you? Or would you like more proof that your expedition are not the only time travellers in this room."

Frank sat speechless. Of all the things he was expecting the wolf to say, that wasn't one of them. Within seconds, he furrowed his brow, glaring at the wolf,

"That's not possible!" He spat. "There hasn't been a King since the Troubles, and animals do noteven _talk_, letalone _study_, in the twenty first century!"

Frank chided himself inside; of all the arguments he could raise to object, he opted for the non-existence of the monarchy in his day,

_Smooth, _He thought. _Real smart, Frank._

Hudson seemed unfazed, seeming to stand even taller than he did before,

"Maybe not in your version of it, Mr. Howard, but in mine they do," He retorted. "And I have been sent here by Sam because these events lead to the causation of my timeline,"

He looked sincerely into the human's eyes.

"And that is the reason I say no one will die, because ALL OF YOU," He shouted, looking at the entire room.

"All of you live on after this, and our history shows it. It shows that you all go on to lay the foundations of our world, one where there is no dominant race but every species - sabres, mammoths, weasels, sloths and humans included among many others - have joined as one to build entire civilisations together. So you see, Frank," He said firmly, looking back at him keenly. "We're not on the brink of death, but of a brave new world."

Frank didn't know what to say. Nothing in the wolf's posture, tone or gaze suggested he was lying; on the contrary, he could sense nothing but sincerity, and that caught him utterly off guard. He looked at Claire, Sam and Terry for guidance as to what to say, but all they could do was merely shrug back in confusion. He turned to Manny, Buck and Diego, only to see awed and hopeful faces on all of them.

"A brave new world..." Manny repeated thoughtfully, a smile growing on his face as he did so. He looked over at Ellie, locking trunks tightly with her. "You hear that, Ellie? We're the founders of an _entire_ world, and we didn't even know it!"

Ellie chuckled as she heard him unintentionally quote her, and gave his trunk a tug back,

"I sure did, Manny," She said cheerfully. "I sure did."

Terry leant forward,

"Now hang on there Hudson," He said tentatively. "How does that make even _begin _to make sense if Frank's sayin' that everything else is telling us were dead meat?"

Hudson smiled once more,

"The clues to your question are, once more, right under your nose, Colonel."

"'ow exactly?" Buck quizzed.

Silence hung in the air as Hudson waited for someone else to answer. Manny sat, pondering wildly what on earth the wolf meant. As he delved further and further into the events of the last few months, a question immediately crept into his mind about something he had never even questioned, something he had never even _thought_ about, until that minute. Manny looked over at Diego with interest,

"How long ago were we last here?" Manny asked. Diego raised an eyebrow in surprise,

"Here?" He repeated in confusion.

"Yes, _here_," Manny asked again. "When were we last at Glacier Pass?"

Dego paused in thought,

"We were last here..." He said slowly. "...going on ten years now."

Manny smiled slightly,

_You're onto something, _He noted, pleased with himself.

"So how come Soto's attacked us now?" He stated, looking up and down the table. "Why is he trying to get revenge almost ten _years_ after we beat him?"

Diego cocked his head, clearly intrigued.

"And, for that matter, why choose to attack the same day you guys showed up?" He stated, looking down the table at the humans.

"Bad luck on our part, perhaps?" Sam replied ruefully.

"Or maybe it was intentional," Hudson said firmly, grabbing everyone's attention. He turned to Frank, "How many bases were there in this era?"

"Seventeen." Frank replied.

"And how many were still standing when your expedition arrived?" Hudson pressed.

Frank sat up, suddenly feeling like a fool for not asking this question himself.

"Only two," He replied in realisation. "Fort Columbus in the valley, and this one."

"Which 'ad a tunnel connecting the two of 'em." Buck added, suddenly twigging.

"And we only decided to come to Glacier Pass _after _Soto attacked us," Manny said, surprised at his own conclusion. "Because it's the furthest place we know."

"Exactly!" Hudson said eagerly. "Everything has been geared towards you all getting here to this base. I was sent to the Valley because Sam _knew_ you'd be travelling through there. But what if she wasn't the only one who knew?"

Frank's eyes widened,

"Are you saying this was _planned!" _He exclaimed.

Hudson snorted,

"No, I'm saying we're _actually_ in a novel, and are governed by a plot," He snapped back sarcastically. "Of course I'm saying it was planned!" He scanned the room. "We have been manoeuvred into a trap."

Terry snorted in derision, crossing his arms as he did so,

"This sounds like a tall tale to me," Terry muttered. "You're just seeing what you wanna see, Hudson."

Diego snapped around to Terry rapidly,

"Is he?" He shot back. "And what did _you _do after you found that device thingy?" He said, pointing at the still-dismantled Dictaphone that lay on the table.

Terry sank in his chair slightly,

"We..." He murmured. "Made it as fast as we could to Glacier Pass."

Manny looked thoughtfully down at his cup, looking into the traces of the red liquid inside of it. He pondered their situation, and grew more disturbed by the second. For years he was convinced that Soto was the only truly great enemy his herd had ever had and, till recently, they had presumed him dead. But now he was alive, and worse; if what was being discussed were true, then he is merely a pawn for an even greater enemy to the herd.

That last thought left Manny cold; how could he defend his family against an enemy he didn't even know existed, much less find them and defeat them. Pensively, he looked up from his glass at the wolf, locking eyes with him.

"So you're saying that _everything _that's happened the last two months has happened to get us here?" He asked

"Correct." Hudson answered. Manny glanced back down at the table, feeling his heart sink,

"And, whoever did this, wanted to trap us here?" He continued. "Just so they could kill us?"

"It would appear so," Frank murmured. ".._.if_ this theory is correct."

Manny glanced over at the human oddly. His body language still showed resignation, his eyes indicating he was still dejected.

"What makes you say that?" He asked.

"Because, even if James' theory is correct, it still means we've failed," He said flatly. "Time can indeed be changed, but what eventually forms the timeline is based on causality; event A leads to event B, and so on."

"And in language I'd understand that means..." Manny said.

Frank sighed, rubbing his eyes once more,

"It means that the very fact that this base even exists means that, regardless, we still all die, which _still_ leads to this," He murmured. "In short, future events are already based on the assumption that we fail."

Buck slammed his fist into the table, immediately attracting attention to himself. He stood tall, glaring defiantly down the room,

"The future be damned!" He said angrily. "If 'udson's story is true, then 'istory's already been changed, and we can change it back! It isn't the first time we've 'ad the odds against us! We can fight this!"

Diego furrowed his brow, smiling,

"Buck's right!" He said firmly. "This herd has fought its way out of plenty of traps before, and we can survive this one!"

Frank jolted out of his brooding, listening intently. Slowly, surely, he knew in his heart that they were right, but there was one question that gnawed at him, one question he wanted answered.

He looked over at the wolf expectantly,

"Hudson, I have to know; the Troubles, did they happen in your timeline?" He asked.

The wolf shot him a bemused glance,

"The what?" He replied in confusion.

All of the humans - Terry, Charlie, Sam, Nigel, Claire and Frank - shared a hopeful glance. Frank pressed on, leaning forward eagerly to explain, already realising his hopes might be realised,

"Massive civil disturbances in the late twenty tens, lots of war and bloodshed...did it happen?" He quizzed. He felt a heaviness in him snap and dissipate as Hudson shook his head,

"No," The wolf said firmly. "No such event occured."

Frank sat back, grinning. He had longed to undo that stain in his history, to atone for his past. And now he had his chance. His spirit felt elated, uplifted...

_hopeful_.

He smiled, planted his hands on the table and leant against them as he stood,

"You're right, Buck," He said. "The future be damned!" He shouted, smacking the table with his fist. He looked up at Hudson and smiled, "Let's bring about that brave new world of yours."

Gleeful, Hudson raised his glass in a toast,

"To the herd!" He shouted. "May it beat any traps in its way and live another day! This hellish future be damned!"

"Hear hear!" The entire room roared.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Enthused and ecstatic, roars of laughter returned to the halls, the herd celebrating their defiance with all the gusto they could give into the small hours of the night. Yet little did they know that, up on the cliffs overlooking the complex, they were being quietly watched. Two figures, hooded and cloaked, stood still, only their garments moving in the wind.

Slowly, one of them turned, facing his companion,

"They're still celebrating!" He spat. "Surely they've learnt the truth by now. Why are they so overjoyed!"

The other one chuckled,

"That is not a celebration of victory, but of defiance," He replied. "Settle yourself, old friend. Everything is going according to plan."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

END OF CHAPTER 27

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Now, I'm betting some of you are a little surprised at James' revelation...but then, I've been hinting it for a long time ;), for the massive clues, go to chapter 20 and reread the scene from his pov. For smaller clues, see 22 (radio earpiece, anyone?), 23, 24 and 25. If you still think its out of the blue...then I'm not sure I can help :P**

**As always feel free to leave a review!**

**Till 28, peace out**


	28. Minutes to Midnight part 1

**Hey everyone!**

**First off, my apologies for this taking so long to come out, but there is a reason which - if you have seen chapter 1 - you might have latched onto...**

**Since you guys are awesome, and I am really enjoying this story, I have started going back and revising/rewriting the earlier chapters to give you the very best story this can be! At the moment, chapters 1-4 are shiny and new, and I am currently revising 5-10 as well, and they will go up when I publish chapter 30. Please do go back and have a read :) (And don't worry, the plot is the same...or this exercise would be somewhat self defeating)**

**Please read and review! Oh, and when you give constructive criticism, please remember: I'm a human being, with feelings. You can just as easily critique from a positive perspective as from a negative. **

**Anyways, without further ado...  
**

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank's head ached.

He stumbled from his bed, bleary eyed and unsteady on his feet. He peered through reddened eyes, placing his hand blindly about the room, searching for his rifle. After knocking over a table lamp and nearly poking Claire in the eye, he found it, slung it over his shoulder, and proceeded to stagger through the hallways, massaging his temples. As he did so, he rued the seemingly vast quantities he had drunk the night before. To his surprise and immense relief, he had somehow found himself in the mess hall. Spying a coffee machine that sat on the table on the other side, he walked past the rows of tables, using the chairs for balance. He noted the numerous empty bottles that lay discarded beside mounds of dirty plates and half eaten food, surprised at how even a group of twenty seven people - the herd, the expedition, Mark, Hudson and the pack of sabres that had joined them - could have eaten their way through so much food. But that wasn't the principle thought running through Frank's mind as he walked past the veritable mountain of wine, beer and whiskey bottles.

"Where the hell did we find so much alcohol!" He grumbled to himself, still staggering towards the coffee machine.

As he stood there, waiting impatiently for the drink to pour, memories of the night before began to float back; memories of traps, fates, Hudson's past and - more important to Frank at that moment - their discovery of a chilled alcohol cellar in the food stores later in the evening.

He groaned, chiding his actions of the night before; he remembered how eager he had been at the time, how great it all seemed. He winced even as he pondered that, his headache turned into a constant throb. He glanced at the cup, still only half full, and sighed in aggravation, looking out the window that spanned the room at the courtyard below. To his surprise, he saw _two _trucks below: the one he had arrived in, still parked beside the southern gate, and another one by the hangar bay. He grunted,

_What did we do last night? _He asked himself. With that thought in his mind, he grabbed his now-full cup of steaming coffee and collapsed into the nearest chair, thus beginning his earnest attempts to nurse his hangover.

Before too long, Frank felt the gentle rumble of the ground that informed him a mammoth was approaching. With the throb in his head starting to diminish to a dull ache, Frank actually managed to smile as he saw Manny literally fall _through_ the huge double doors that marked the entrance to the mess hall, tearing the hinges from the walls - along with a decent chunk of the wall itself.

"Morning," Frank said casually, looked a the debris covered mammoth. "How's your head?"

Frank's smile turned into a slightly pained grin as the mammoth merely groaned in reply.

"We call it a hangover," He said as Manny clambered arduously to his feet. "It's what you get when you drink enough alcohol to drown yourself in."

Manny peered his reddened eyes blankly at the human,

"I haven't felt this bad since Sid decided to sing for a whole day," He muttered. "I am never touching the stuff again."

Frank chuckled, taking a swig from his third cup of coffee,

"You keep telling yourself that, Manny," He said, amused. "My advice is to grab a cup of coffee and settle down, before you break anything else...'

Even as Frank spoke, Manny stumbled once more, crashing into the table they had all sat around the night before, splitting it cleanly in two. Frank looked down at the mammoth, now covered in leftover food, using all his available will to stifle his outward amusement, maintaining a casual look,

"...like _that_." He finished, his lips twitching into a smile.

Manny, quickly brushing himself off, stomped towards the coffee machine, keenly avoiding Frank's gaze as he blushed under his fur, embarrassed that he had lost his balance, and his dignity, so suddenly. He stared at the device, stubbornly hoping to divine how it operated. Dazed and slightly nauseous, Manny gave up, turning to glare at the human,

"How do you get this thing to work?" Manny demanded.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Over the next hour or so, almost the entire herd stumbled into the room, all of them - with the exception of Ben, Mark and Peaches - as hazy and unsteady on their feet as Frank was. Some were notable by their absence: Terry wandered in with no Sam, Eddie with no Crash and Sid and Hudson were yet to be seen by the others that morning. Discussion was muted at best, the relatively silence of the mess hall only occasionally broken as the herd complained about their heads, stomachs or both. Suddenly, the peace and quiet was broken,

"GOOD MORNING EVERYONE!" Sam said loudly as she walked into the room, followed closely by Hudson.

Everyone flinched as if Sam had been screaming at them. She grinned mischievously, intentionally making all of her movements and words as loud as she possibly could.

"How is everyone this morning?" She asked, a trace of sarcasm evident in her voice.

"Good, till you arrived," Manny shot back sarcastically, covering his ears with his trunk.

Sam feigned hurt, sidling up to Manny,

"That's not a very nice thing to say to one of the people who chaperoned you idiots for most of the night!" She said pointedly, a smile on her face. She turned to look at all of the wearied, hazy faces that now stared at her. "You all got utterly wasted last night, leaving me and James here with the dubious honour of making sure you didn't hurt yourselves!"

Frank shot a barbed look at her,

"Can you save your holier-than-thou do-gooderness for when were _not _hungover?" He muttered. She grinned,

"But Frank," she said sweetly, battering her eyelids in an attempt to look innocent. "How else can I smugly gloat about how pathetic you all became and how you desperately needed mine and James' help?"

He looked at her with a deeply unimpressed look,

"Gloating's not a very _Christian _thing of you to do," he spat sharply.

Sam's smile faded briefly, shooting a harsh glare at Frank. Her smile quickly returned,

"Fine, I shall rephrase it," She said. She straightened out, feigning a look of stern seriousness. "I feel it to be my Christian duty to warn you of the dangers of overconsumption by smugly gloating..." Her stern expression cracked as she began to laugh. "...about how pathetic you all were last night!" She shot a belligerently amused glance at her brother. "There. Happier now, Mr. Grumpypants?"

"Much better," he said sarcastically. "Just what I needed this morning; coffee served with a side order of hypocritical irrational belief-oriented humour. This day couldn't have gotten off to a better start."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hudson saw Sam's expression darken as she glared at her brother with unease. Sensing a war of words about to break out, he quickly stepped forwards,

"I'm glad to see you're not bullet ridden this morning, Frank!" He said cheerfully, hoping to steer the conversation onto another topic. He looked at Manny, "And I'm relieved to see you aren't frozen this morning, Manny."

Manny looked up from his coffee in confusion, casting a confused look at the wolf,

"Frozen!" He exclaimed.

"Shot?" Frank remarked, leaning forward in interest.

The wolf chuckled,

"Yes, well, dear Manfred here decided the chiller room was apparently good for sleeping in, and you, Mr. Howard, along with the good Colonel decided you would have a contest to see who's the better shooter..."

Frank and Terry exchanged curious glances. Frank turned back to the wolf, smiling slightly,

"That doesn't sound so bad," He remarked. "Where does the 'me getting shot' thing come in? What did I do, beat him or something?"

"Not likely, boss," Terry grunted.

"Well...it wouldn't have been so bad, if you hadn't decided on the apparently inspired idea of using _each other _as the targets," Hudson continued, his tone a curious mix of amusement and caustic rebuke. "Which is all the more difficult to stop when Sid and Crash likewise decided to get into a _fist fight_ at about the same time..."

Everyone looked up in surprise.

"Sid?" Diego exclaimed. "But he's not violent...or even co-ordinated enough for something like that!"

Sam, leaning on Manny slightly, smiled sardonically,

"Well, I can tell you now that he makes one mean, angry, co-ordinated drunk..." She noted the worried looks and quickly added, "Don't worry, they're fine; just a few scratches and bruises. They're in the medical bay getting patched up, and should be up and about anytime now."

Manny sighed, visibly relieved.

"Thats good...it's a shame though; I would have liked to have seen what Sid looks like when he's co-ordinated."

Buck, standing by the window with a cup of coffee in his hands, looked over curiously at Sam and Hudson,

"So 'oo went for a drive last night?" He asked.

Hudson shot a bemused glance back,

"No one did," He stated. "None of you left this half of the complex, thankfully..." His gaze grew concerned, looking intently at the weasel. "Why do you ask?"

"Cos there's anotha truck out there," He replied, pointing. "So someone must 'ave gone for..."

Buck was cut off as voices, distant and ethereal, carried through the room, as if from a distance;

_We've got ten minutes!..._

_This can't be happening..._

Buck scanned the ceiling quizzically,

"Can anyone else 'ear that?" He asked.

Frank and Diego visibly tensed up, rising out of their places, looking at the ceiling with consternation. Eddie, as he listened, grew excited,

"That's the wind!" He exclaimed. "It's speaking to us again!"

"That's not wind, mate," Buck remarked. "Cos I can understand that."

Manny listened intently, suddenly feeling perturbed,

"I can hear it too..." he said nervously.

Diego's eyes flared with worry. He shot a look at Frank, who nodded back.

"They're ghost voices..." the sabre murmured.

Everyone, sensing the growing mood of disquiet, immediately moved themselves, pressing up against the window, staring at the hangar bay intensely. Hudson's heart skipped a beat in panic as he saw two figures, hooded and cloaked, walk out of the structure. Gasps could be heard from beside him.

"My God," Sam said, shocked. "They're switching it on..."

Before anyone could comment, one of the figures looked up, slinging his rifle from his back. Hudson's eye's widened in fear,

"Take cover!" He shouted.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

They barely retreated backwards when the window was sprayed with bullets, exploding into a shower of a thousand sharp fragments. Manny's brain screamed in pain, insulted at the bright lights and loud noises, but he didn't have time to nurse his hangover. As quickly as he could, he wrapped himself around his daughter, shielding her from any flying objects. The ceiling above them shattered in dozens of places, debris covering them as the gunfire continued.

"Why are they shooting at us!" Manny shouted.

"Does it matter?" Frank shouted back, crawling his way towards the exit. "We've got to stop them before it's too late!"

The gunfire had stopped, but Manny's ears still rang. He shot a glance at Frank,

"Before what's too late?" he asked loudly.

"They are switching on the time machine!" the human replied.

Manny's eyes widened. He remembered enough of the earlier parts of the night before; he knew that switching on the device was the last thing they wanted to do. With a blunt force, Manny realised they had been forced into the very trap they sought to avoid.

"Oh no..." he whispered.

Frank scrabbled to his feet and sprinted for the exit.

"Come on!" he shouted back at the herd. The humans and Buck rushed immediately after him, briefly dashing into their rooms to grab their weapons.

Without further hesitation, everyone else gave chase.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The moment he entered the wide space in the centre of the base, Diego juddered to a halt, very nearly running into Manny, who who had done the same. He scanned in confusion at panicked masses of half transparent animals, all running towards the shut northern gate. He blinked and shook his head, certain he was seeing things, as he watched the apparitions disappear _through_ the gate as if it had been open. Before he could comment on it, the noise of gunfire ripped through the early morning serenity of the base once, dragging Diego's attention back to the hangar. The herd scattered left and right, ducking for cover wherever they could find it. Narrowly dodging several bullets, Diego lunged behind one of the rock outcroppings into which the base had been built. He looked over at Frank and Terry, who had managed to run half the way towards the hangar, taking cover behind the battered truck they had arrived in just days before. They flung their weapons over the trunk of the car, firing blindly in the hangar's general direction.

As the beleaguered humans diverted the fire to themselves, Diego edged his head out from beyond the safety of the outcropping, taking a good look at their assailants. To his surprise, he saw two figures, both hooded and cloaked, were alone. Looking closer, he could see that one of them was clearly human, but the other - much to his surprise - was an animal. Yet they both carried weapons, and both were firing wildly at Frank and Terry as they hid behind the truck. Sensing his chance, Diego leapt from his cover, making a sprint towards the two assailants. He dodged and ducked as bullets flew him by, letting out a roar as he did so. As he drew nearer, he saw the animal pull out a cylindrical object from under his garments, tapping at it's controls wildly, whilst the human sprayed the entire area with bullets. Undeterred, Diego ran faster, determined to stop their assailants. He shared a glance with Frank as he shot past him, and the human nodded. Within seconds, Diego was being flanked by Frank and Terry, both firing viciously at the intruders as they did so.

But before they could reach them, a blinding light dazzled Diego and the rest of them, halting them in their tracks. Peering at the world through the retinal echo of the light, he cursed; the two figures were gone. He scanned everywhere, even the cliffs above, trying to figure out where they were hiding, but to no avail.

"Where'd they go?" Diego shouted angrily, raring for a fight.

Frank stood beside him, rifle raised, showing as much annoyance in his expression as the sabre.

"Seems we're not the only time travellers here," He muttered in response. Satisfied they were alone once more, he waved his hand at the rest of the herd, still hiding behind whatever they could find.

"It's safe to come out now," he shouted, his ears protesting at his own voice's volume. "They're gone."

As the herd regrouped, distant voices began to carry across the wind once more;

_RETREAT!..._

_Buckle up, everybody! This is about to get very hairy..._

"That's really starting to creep me out," Terry murmured, looking up in no particular direction.

Diego paid the human no heed. Instead, he ran after Frank, breaking into a headlong sprint towards the time machine that covered the back wall of the hangar. Even as he drew nearer, he could see something had changed; the screen he had seen Frank read from before was now displaying images he couldn't understand, but he quickly saw that they changed with every second. The human typed away furiously, cursing under his breath every time an ominous beep was emitted from the machine. Eventually, he slumped and stepped back, looking over at Diego.

The sabre didn't like the look on the human's face; Frank's frown worried him.

"It's bad, isn't it." Diego said. It wasn't a question; Diego could already see the answer etched into Frank's expression.

"Yeah," Frank mussitated. "It's bad."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The herd, now rejoined by Sid and Crash, stood by the time machine, all grimly staring at the screen, having just been told what it was that they were looking at. Buck looked intently at the image, glancing briefly over at the humans,

"A countdown?" He remarked. "To wot exactly?"

"To the machine activating," Frank replied mutedly. "Which means that, in roughly six hours, it will shift us eight months into the future..."

"...which is right where we don't wanna be," Diego added.

Buck scratched his chin, pondering their situation. It made no sense to him; the trap was too obvious, too simple. His thoughts were justified as he turned around, surveying the rows of trucks that sat there, each and every one of them capable of whisking them off to safety. The fact it appeared to require little effort to escape confused him, and worried him, at the same time.

"This seems too easy," He muttered. "We're in a room full of trucks, and they set the thing to switch on in six '_ours_? That doesn't make a jot of sense..."

Frank nodded in agreement,

"That's what's worrying me too..."

Diego looked at them both with interest, latching on to their train of thought.

"So this is another one of their traps?" He asked.

"Can you think of any otha reason why they left us with such an obvious way to escape?" Buck replied.

Manny shot them all a perplexed glance,

"So, let me get this straight," He stated. "You're all saying that, if we leave, we could find ourselves in a trap?"

"Precisely," Frank replied. Manny looked at the machine before them with confusion.

"But I thought you said this thing was the trap," He replied, pointing his trunk at the time machine that towered over them. "That this was all part of their scheme to... kill... us."

"You can 'ave more than one trick up your fur if you're determined to get someone, mate," Buck stated slowly. "That said, I say we still try an' make a break for it."

Diego shook his head,

"We don't know what they have planned for us out of the north gate," He contended. "For all we know they're _waiting _for us to do that," He let out a sigh, visibly deflating. "For all we know, that's how they plan to kill us."

"'ow do we know if we don't even try?" Buck retorted. "Besides, if they know our every move, then we 'ave ta be unpredictable! 'sbetta to try and escape than wait 'ere for woteva's waiting for us when that thing switches on!"

"Trap or no trap, I'd rather try than sit here moping," Manny added, looking down at his daughter in concern. "If we can get out of here, we should try it!"

Diego paused in deep thought. After a moment, his expression turned to one of determination,

"You're right," He said. "It's worth a shot."

Frank nodded his assent,

"Agreed," He said quietly, his eyes narrowing in thought. "But there's got to be something we've missed; there has to be a motive behind leaving us an obvious way out."

"Maybe they overlooked that part?" Manny reasoned, more out of hope than certainty. Frank shook his head firmly,

"These are people with seemingly intimate knowledge of our movements, whereabouts and thinking, and they managed to lead us here without us even realising they were pulling the strings," Frank stated bluntly. "Do you really think, after all that, they'd leave a gaping hole for us to just walk away?"

The herd's mood darkened for a moment, ruminating on this troubling thought. Buck looked around at the heavy-laden expressions, turning back once more to the trucks. He cast a mischievous look at Hudson, who smirked back, before both of them looked over at Frank. The human looked at them in confusion, his expression turning to a smile as Buck gestured to one of the trucks.

"Well then!" Buck said enthusiastically. "I vote for a little unpredictability! 'udson, Frank, care ta join me?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Manny stared, dumbfounded, as Frank, Buck and James jumped into a truck, reversing rapidly out of the hangar. Panic soared within him, convinced his friends had just opted for almost certain death.

"Are you out of your minds!" Manny spluttered. "Get back here! It could be dangerous out there!"

He jolted as Buck replied; rather than shouting back at him as he expected, his voice now blurted out of the radio that was still strapped to his trunk.

"Well, since 'ere ain't exactly safe, we thought we'd save us all the 'oo-'ah an' just try an' make a break for it."

Manny shot a worried glance at Ellie and Diego as the truck swerved out into the courtyard and sped from view. Without another thought, everyone immediately raced after them, only reaching the courtyard themselves as they saw Hudson activating the gate controls and jumping back into the truck. Unseen machines in the wall juddered to life and the gate slowly began to open as Manny finally caught up with the truck, angrily rapping his trunk against the truck's window.

"Are you insane?" Manny spat angrily. "You could get us _all_ killed if something is out there!"

The window slid down, Frank resting his arm where the glass had disappeared into, smirking up at Manny,

"Technically, if your theory's correct, only _we_ would die; you still have a base to defend you," He revved the engine as the gate's mechanisms fell silent, the gate now open. "And besides; we're just as much in danger here as out there, so it's worth a shot...see you in a few minutes, Manny."

The tyres flung dirt and dust into the air as the truck sped off, leaving Manny coughing and spluttering in their wake. He looked out at the car as it hurtled over the empty plains with a mix of annoyance, fear and hope as the rest of the herd joined him, staring out of the gate. He pressed his radio close to him.

"You should all have your heads examined!" He grunted.

"Now's not the time for rule numba four!" Buck radioed back. "And besides, we were just talkin' about doing thi..."

Manny winced as a brief, blinding light suddenly filled his view. Blinking away the retinal echo, his heart skipped a beat; he was staring at an empty plain, with no sign of the truck or it's crew.

"What the hell!" Terry exclaimed. "Did anyone else just see that!"

Manny stayed motionless, paying the human no heed. He feared, dreaded even, that he had just seen his friends die for no reason but foolhardiness. He looked down at his trunk at the little black box that was strapped there, hoping against hope that his eyes were deceiving him.

"Buck? You still there?" Manny said anxiously into the radio. As nothing but silence lingered, he grew ever more panicked.

"James? Frank? Are you there!...oh no..."

The silence was deafening. He glanced back at the others, his eyes wide with shock. He looked at Claire and Ben, seeing theirs well up with tears, and began to move to comfort them.

"I'm so sorry..." Manny began. _Again, _he mentally added.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Buck, Frank and Hudson stared out of the windscreen in silence, utterly nonplussed at what had just happened. They stared at the ruined checkpoint that lay several hundred yards beyond them in confusion. Hudson glanced around, seeing Half Peak behind them to their right.

"Where the 'eck are we?" Buck quizzed, paying no attention to Manny's voice as it blurted out of the radio.

"It would seem we are on the southern side of the base," Hudson replied. "About a mile out if I'm not mistaken."

Frank swerved in his chair, looking gormlessly at the wolf.

"That's not possible." Frank stated, a certainty in his voice that couldn't be found in his expression.

"Apparently it is, mate," Buck murmured. Slowly, he grabbed the radio that lay on the dashboard and spoke into it, "Buck 'ere, we're alive...confused, but alive."

The cabin was suddenly filled with the sounds of relieved laughter and joy.

"Buck, boy am I glad to hear you!" Manny replied, laughing slightly. "Where are you?"

"We seem to 'ave found ourselves on the otha side of the base," Buck replied. "Some'ow..."

"Wait...what?" Manny blurted. Diego's voice immediately chimed in,

"But how does that even begin to make sense?" The sabre asked.

Buck, unable to answer, looked quizzically at Frank and Hudson. Frank shrugged,

"Don't look for an answer from me," He said. "I'm just as confused by this as you," Frank turned, looking keenly at the wolf, hoping he had some answer. "Any ideas, James?"

Hudson shot him a look,

"Do I look like a crystal ball to you?" He retorted. "Even in my time this isn't _technically_ possible."

"And yet 'ere we are," Buck murmured. He glanced backwards with interest for a moment, pondering what had just happened. Before Frank could comment, the weasel had leapt out of his open window and cautiously made his way behind the truck. Panicked, James and Frank jumped out of the truck, but before they could say anything there was anoter flash of light, and Buck was gone.

"Buck's back on this side!" Manny stated, his voice drifting out of the car window. Frank and Hudson shared a look of utter confusion.

"What the hell is going on here..." Frank muttered under his breath.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The herd had scrabbled across the base and searched for a full hour to find a sense, reason, _something _to explain what had just happened, scouring every nook and cranny, and any computer they could find. Eventually, they were all called back by Manny to the mess hall, where they sat expectantly, hoping he had something positive to say. Even after a few moments, Diego sensed that wasn't to be the case; both the mammoth and Frank, who stood by his side, looked sombre, even stern. Manny raised his trunk, signalling to everyone to quieten down, which they promptly did.

"Things are much worse than we thought."

Manny's words hit them hard, more so as it echoed through the ruined and damaged chamber in which they sat. Diego looked into his friend's eyes intently, the downcast and dour look he found in them perturbing him deeply.

"How bad is it?" The sabre asked mutedly.

Manny glanced over at Frank, who stepped forward tentatively,

"Just after the two attackers escaped this morning, another subroutine kicked in, probably one they themselves installed and activated" Frank started. "Whilst I don't understand the physics and concepts behind it at all, I do know this; it's designed to ensure that anything within a mile of the time machine _stays _within a mile of the time machine."

Diego cocked his head in confusion,

"I don't understand," He replied. "That doesn't make any sense."

Terry grunted in agreement,

"Diego's right; what the hell's the point of having a system that keeps you locked _inside_ a mile of a..." He trailed off as he saw the answer.

Frank nodded wearily,

"Precisely. They have us trapped," Frank said. He leant on the table looking forward at all of them. "And no matter how much we me hate it, it is there, and it has cut off our only way out."

Manny sighed,

"Seems they have us in a perfect trap; no exits, no ways out," He paused. "In short; we _are_ trapped."

Diego's eyes widened in annoyance,

"There's no such thing as a _perfect_ plan," Diego spat. "Which means there has to be a way out of this!"

"Surely there are otha time machines 'ere?" Buck enquired. "You can't possibly be tellin' me that you 'umans decided just 'avin the one 'ere was enough!"

Manny nodded,

"James here found out that there are others here..."

"But they're short range, about a year or so," Hudson interjected. "And even then, they won't do us much good..."

"Why?" Buck asked.

"Because the...bubble...we're in only lets things _in_," Frank stated. "Not out."

Buck visibly deflated.

"So we really are trapped then," he murmured in resignation.

Incensed, Diego slammed his paw onto the table,

"That's not good enough!" He yelled. "There has to be a way out, a flaw in their plan, something, ANYTHING!" He shot a fierce glance across the room, resting squarely on Manny. "We have to try to get out of this!"

Manny furrowed his brow, gritting his teeth as he did so.

"I haven't heard any ideas coming from you, Diego," He growled. "So tell us; how are we supposed to get out of this?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Inwardly, Diego's heart sank as no ideas cropped to mind, but he maintained his fierce external expression. He racked his memories of the last day, trying to bring anything to mind that could be useful to him. As all eyes focussed on him he stood there, seemingly frozen, trying to find a decent suggestion.

_Damage_...

He smirked as he remembered his discussion with Frank, and looked intently at Manny,

"All of these things; the bubble, the countdown...everything that's forcing us to stay here is happening because the machine is damaged!" Diego answered.

"So?" Manny said derisively.

"So we fix it!" Diego said firmly.

Manny shot an inquisitive look at Frank. The human shook his head firmly,

"It's too heavily damaged for that," He stated. "It would take days, even weeks, to repair it."

As ideas formulated in his mind, Diego looked over at Frank inquisitively.

"Are you certain of that?" He pressed.

The human shot an offended look at him,

"Of course I'm certain!" He said, raising his voice. "The diagnostic clearly stated..."

Diego waved his paw, brusquely cutting the human off,

"Yeah, I know that!" He said dismissively. "But we did that _before _we knew that we were being trapped!"

Frank's annoyance dissipated, replaced by incredulity,

"Are you saying it was sabotaged?" Frank stated. Almost immediately, he shook his head, "But even if that were true, there's still no guarantee we can fix it before the countdown runs out..." He paused, scratching his overgrown beard in the process. "...but it might be worth a shot."

"It sure as hell beats sittin' around, being all mopey," Terry added.

"And, since it's a subroutine, there could be a way of deactivating it from the command centre." Hudson added.

Diego grinned, knowing full well that the herd between them had helped turn his idea into a fully fledged plan. He looked directly at Manny, hoping for his approval,

"Well, Manny?" He asked.

Manny paused, deep in thought. Diego watched expectantly as the mammoth's eyes trailed around the room, looking at all the damage evident, before setting his eyes back on Diego,

"Alright," He said. "Let's do it. We'll split up into four teams," He looked to each member of the herd in turn, "Frank, Terry, Charlie, Nigel you go see if you can fix that thing. James, Sam, Claire, you go to the command centre and see if you can switch the bubble off. Diego, Sid, you take the other sabres, get some trucks, and be ready to test the bubble whenever they think they've done it. Me and Ellie and all the others will go to the edge and see if there's some way we can break through."

Diego grinned, inwardly overjoyed that his plan was the one being followed. He looked around at all his friends, pleased to see that some hope had returned to their faces. He looked back at the mammoth, both of them sharing a smile,

"That's more like it," he whispered under his breath.

Frank checked his watch,

"Ok, guys!" He said. "You heard Manny; we have lots to do and less than five hours to do it! To your stations, people!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

End of Chapter 28  
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Since this is a two parter and both uploaded at once, so im fairly certain you want to move on...**

**but before you do...**

**please review! :P **

**Till 29, T**


	29. Minutes to Midnight part 2

The base was abuzz, pulsating with organised chaos as the herd worked tirelessly to escape. Hudson, even with his eyes glued to a computer screen, his claws extended so he could type - clumsily - on the keyboard, could hear all the radio communications the herd was making floating through the air. He smiled slightly, suddenly questioning how good Claire's idea was of linking all their radios to the command centre; whilst in theory it enabled the whole herd to talk and listen to all that was going on, in reality it just gave them a cacophony of noise in which they had to work. Grumbling in frustration as he came across new codes, blocks and restrictions in the system, he permitted himself to listen in on the stream of voices that filled the air.

_"No, Terry! Don't put it in there! That's a power coupling, you idiot..."_

_"Ok...so the rock didn't work on its own, but what if we..."_

_"I spy with my little eye, something beginning with..."_

"I think we got it!"

Hudson perked up, realising that the last sentence - in Sam's voice - had to have emanated from the room he was in. He swerved in his chair, looking intently for her amongst the mass of wires and circuits that lay scattered across the floor. As he scanned the deconstructed command centre, he eventually spotted her legs protruding from inside one of the computer terminals on the other side of the room. He sat up in his chair, craning to see if he could make eye contact.

"Well let's hope so!" he replied. "What did you do?"

"Honestly? I don't know, but given our predicament it's worth trying," She said mutedly before mumbling to herself, "So if I cross these wires, and bypass this circuit board...there! Any change up there?"

Immediately, a light flashed on the screen behind Hudson,

"_Warning_," The computer's voice droned. "_Safety protocol ninety-two alpha disabled_."

Hudson grinned.

"Let's hope that's our lucky number!" he muttered.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Diego shifted in his seat uncomfortably, murmuring to himself as he recited all the basic controls to the truck that Frank had told him. Even though he had driven it dozens of times already within the last three hours, he still felt awkward at the wheel. Yet running them through his mind gave him something to do, and was a welcome distraction from the game he was playing with Buck. Even though they were both sick to death of the game, they continued; it was infinitely better than sitting in silence, pondering the prospects of them failing. He tapped his paws on the steering wheel, looking around at the weasel who sat next to him. Buck sighed,

"I spy, with my little eye," He mumbled flatly, heaving another bored sigh, "Something beginning with b..."

"Base," Diego said quickly, his tone equally unenthused. He scanned around, "I spy with my little eye, something beginning with..." Failing to spot anything he hadn't already mentioned, he tensed up. "This is getting ridiculous."

He yanked the radio off of its stand, pressing it close to his mouth.

"Hudson! Can we give it another try yet?"

As he turned up the volume, a wall of noise filled the otherwise silent cabin. Amongst all the other voices they could suddenly hear, Hudson's voice seemed almost distant,

"Hudson to Diego, we've managed to get something up here. You're clear for another run."

Diego and Buck shared a relieved glance. The sabre grinned broadly.

"Finally!" he muttered. He looked over at the weasel and smirked. "Let's hope it works this time!"

"'ere goes nothin'," Buck replied.

With that, Diego slammed his foot onto the accelerator, the truck lurching forward into life.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hudson, Claire and Sam all stood, watching the truck expectantly as it juddered forwards. Sam glanced up at the ceiling pleadingly.

"Please God, let this work," she whispered.

"This _will_ work," Hudson said, his tone more certain than he felt. Claire cast a wearied glance at him.

"You've said that the last dozen times we've tried this too," she replied quietly. She glanced at her watch briefly. "We've only got two hours left."

The truck sped faster, whizzing out of the north gate and out of view. As Sam and Claire resumed their positions, Hudson looked down briefly in thought.

"Godspeed, gentlemen," he mumbled.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Manny, Ellie, Sid and all the others with them stopped what they were doing to watch. They saw the truck fly out of the base at great speed, coming rapidly towards them. Manny glanced back at the mass of rocks, wood and tools they had been using to wedge a hole into the bubble, knowing full well it was futile. He returned his attention back to the truck, willing them to succeed that time, hoping against hope they would make it out. Whilst still in thought, the car flung past them and into the bubble. Once more, a brief, blinding flash of light filled Manny's vision. Even before blinking away the echo, he sighed; as his sight returned to normal, he couldn't see the truck anywhere.

"Well that's just great," he grumbled. "Yet another successful attempt at failing."

Sid shrugged, putting on a smile.

"You never know," he reasoned. "They might do it next time."

Manny shook his head forcefully.

"We've been at this for two hours, and how far have we gotten?" he pressed. "Nowhere! This is pointless."

Ellie shot him an annoyed look.

"So what should we do?" she asked. "We have to keep trying."

He glanced back at the pile they had left and grunted.

"We don't have to keep trying _this,_" he contended, pointing his trunk at their feeble attempts. "We'd be more useful back at the base."

Ellie and Sid shared a gaze, eventually slumping in admission.

"Yeah, i guess so," Ellie mumbled quietly. She glanced over at Ben and Mark forlornly, "Come on guys, lets head back."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The mood was subdued in the command centre. Claire, Sam and Hudson watched stonily as they saw Manny and his group re-enter the base. Hudson watched absentmindedly, his thoughts starting to reel out of control as the reality of their situation hit him. Just minutes before Manny declared their return, they had found out that Max, Sid and the sabres had to return to infirmary to be treated for their hangovers. As their options started narrowing Hudson, for the first time that day, seriously pondered the prospect that they really couldn't escape.

_No! _His mind protested, _This isn't how it ends!_

He turned to the two women beside him, seeing the same resigned look on their faces. With all his will he put on a firm expression.

"We still have one and a half hours people!" he announced, making sure everyone could hear him on their radios. "Let's make them count."

Sam and Claire nodded, rushing back to work, leaving Hudson alone on his console with his thoughts. As he had done a thousand times before, he cast his mind back to his own time, picturing the people, the places, and Sam as she gave him the mission he had given the last six years of his life for. Yet it was only now that her parting words to him began to make sense;

_I warn you though, things might not turn out the way you're expecting._

The wolf chuckled harshly, ruminating on the words.

"You got that right, Sammy," he muttered under his breath. "You sure did get that right..." He grabbed his radio. "Frank, how's it going down there?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank ignored the radio, focussing intently on an exposed panel of circuitry in front of him.

"Frank? Are you there?"

He closed his eyes, letting out an irritated sigh. He let the tools in his hands intentionally fall to the floor with a crash and yanked the radio from its spot on the keyboard he had often frequented.

"In case you haven't noticed James, our overall situation hasn't much improved," he said brusquely. "Which would suggest to any _sane_ individual that we haven't gotten far. If we make a breakthrough, I'm sure you will be the first to know. Frank, over and out."

With that, he slammed the radio back onto the keyboard and picked up his tools. Terry shot him a bemused glance through the mass of wires between them.

"All he asked is how we were getting on, boss," he said gruffly. "That ain't a reason to get all huffy."

Frank glared at him. Feeling suddenly uncomfortable at the truth of Terry's statement, he broke eye contact, plunging a spanner into the machine forcefully.

"It is if you are working against the clock," Frank muttered. "Every second is essential at this point; we are trying to do in a matter of hours what is only really possible to be done in days," He stopped working, looking directly at Terry. "We're trying to do the impossible."

Terry grunted.

"Then why are we even trying, boss?" he said sarcastically. "Seems to me that you've already given up hope."

Frank retracted slightly in sheer disgust: not at Terry's statement, but at the fact he had called Frank out. He knew deep down they were on the losing side of a fight that they had only known they were in as the knockout punch started to fall. Deeply perturbed, he allowed none of his thoughts or feelings to show on his face, affecting an almost stony gaze.

"We're trying," He said as he reached back into the machine. "Because we _have _to make this work_."_

Frank left off the end of his sentence, keeping it safely locked in his thoughts;

_because the alternative is death._

Terry stood up and stretched, pulling a cigarette packet out of his jacket pocket. As he lit up a cigarette, Frank turned back to him, following his eye line up to a frayed and tatty flag that hung limply in the centre of the hangar above their heads. Frank briefly scanned the flag, his heart sinking a little further; he recognised the blue background and the twelve golden stars of the European Union, but it had become little more than a frame for a globe pierced through with a sword. He glanced down for a moment, reflecting on the harsh irony of a symbol of peace being merged with that of war. Terry looked over, his cigarette hanging from his mouth.

"What if we don't do it?" he asked, his voice muffled. "What if we fail?"

Frank and Terry shared a look, both already knowing the answer to that question. Nigel and Charlie, till then working away quietly, stopped suddenly, intrigued by the answer to the question. Frank stood up slowly, moving alongside Terry.

"If we don't make it, then _this_ happens," he said plainly, pointing at the flag above them at first, but moving his arm into a gesture that encompassed the entire base. "If we fail, then it's not just us who dies, but everything and everyone that has ever lived."

Terry finished his cigarette. He chuckled sardonically as he chucked the butt away.

"And all this 'cause we can't figure out what they've done to _your_ time machine," he muttered. He cast a rueful glance over at Frank. "Good job there, boss."

Frank grew irate, briefly considering punching him in the face, but thought better of it as he remembered how much stronger Terry was in comparison to him. He opted, wisely, to fight back in words.

"How dare you!" he spat. "I'm not responsible for this! I am not the 'man who killed time'! And besides, what do you know? You're just a brainless mountain of muscle who's only reason for being here was because my sister insisted on you two being a package deal!"

Terry glared at him.

"Oh yeah? Well I ain't the one who built all this crap, _boss," _he countered fiercely. "And you don't even know how to switch the goddamn thing off! Some brainiac you are!"

Frank laughed mirthlessly out of sheer exasperation.

"You really are as dumb as you look," he retorted. He pointed at the machine behind him, a hateful gaze locked solely onto Terry. "This version of the machine is one hundred and thirty _years_ more advanced than the one _I_ built. I made the equivalent of the Model T Ford, with this monstrosity being its distant ancestor." He drew close to Terry, not breaking eye contact. "The very fact I understand _any_ of this is only because it is still the same basic machine underneath, but only_ just,_ and so it's a little more than hard to find their subroutine, you scatterbrained, idiotic gun-for-hire..." he trailed off, seeing Terry's fists clenching in the corners of his eyes. He quickly swerved on his heels, determined to not let Terry see how intimidated of him he was. "Now get back to work, Colonel Daniels; we've just wasted time we don't have."

Terry took several deep breaths before moving back towards his position.

"Sure thing, _Captain,"_ he muttered spitefully.

Frank paused, regretting most of the insults he had just uttered. He knew he wasn't angry at Terry; he was angry at himself. As he plunged his spanner back into the machine, he pondered the fact that everything Terry had accused him of was running through his mind.

Deep down, he really did hold himself responsible.

Slowly, awkwardly, he turned about.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't mean what I said...it's just that...this situation is really getting to me."

Terry looked coolly at him, unfazed by Frank's lacklustre apology. Undeterred, Frank continued.

"You're right...this is technology I helped create, and so this is my fault...but I didn't have any choice; if I didn't go through with this, they would have probably killed me and my family..."

Terry perked up in confusion, opening his mouth to ask more questions. But before he could get a word in edgeways, Frank carried on.

"I know it might not mean much, but I'm glad you're with us," he said. "If we do fail, I can't think of a better person I'd want to help me protect my family..."

Terry smiled slightly, giving Frank a nod.

"Thanks, boss," he said appreciatively. "But I still think you're an idiot."

Frank laughed once more, but with sincerity.

"As long as you're shooting with me and not against me when the time comes, I think I can live with that," he said, smiling.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Manny slowed to standstill as he came into the middle of the courtyard, scanning his surroundings. The base, for all the rush and anxiety, seemed oddly serene, even eerily so. His eyes tracked upwards, staring at the bullet riddled concrete that framed the mess hall's shattered window, his eyes moving left along the wall, eventually focussing on the large protrusion that he now knew was the command centre of the base. He let out a heavy sigh as he permitted thoughts to float to his mind that he had consistently suppressed for several days. Everything else seemed more important enough for him to keep quiet till that moment; now he wanted to know.

He knew from what he heard over the radio, that they had just over an hour left before the machine activated. With that in mind, he turned around and walked towards the hangar bay, determined to get the answer to his question.

_Just in case I don't survive to ask it later, _he added morbidly in his head.

As he passed through the hangar bay doors and weaved through the trucks, Manny focussed on Frank.

"Hey, Frank!" he said loudly, his voice echoing through the cavernous space.

Caught off guard by the call, Frank jerked around, accidentally dropped his spanner into the machine as he did so. In that brief moment, all he could do was stare blankly, completely unsure what would happen. He gulped as he heard a wild hum emanate from the machine's innards.

"Oh shi-" Frank began to say.

Before he could even finish, the circuits in front of him overloaded, exploding into fire. By the sheer force of the blast, he was thrown backwards, crashing hard into the side of one of the trucks. Nigel rushed to Franks side, whilst Terry and Charlie grabbed fire extinguishers in an attempt to put the fire out before it damaged the machine even further. Manny stood perfectly still, suddenly feeling very awkward at the scene he just caused. Slowly, he moved around the last trucks and stood still, uncomfortable as he looked down at Frank, wincing as he saw the dent in the car door that the human had crashed into.

"Erm...I'm sorry for that..." Manny said falteringly. Frank looked up in sheer annoyance and tried to stand but collapsed back down to the floor, letting out a yelp of pain as he did so. Nigel put a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Try to remain still," he said gently. Before Frank could object, Nigel began pressing his hands against his ribs. "Tell me if this hurts."

After the third gentle press, Frank winced. Nigel stopped, looking pensive.

"Hmm...I thought so," he muttered. "You have a cracked rib _at least_, Frank."

Frank looked up angrily at Manny.

"Thank you for that," he said sullenly. He turned back to Nigel. "Can you give me something to numb the pain? I have to get back to work."

Nigel shook his head slightly.

"That's only a temporary solution," he protested gently. "We need to get you to the medical bay."

"Can the machines up there fix me in an hour?" Frank shot back. Nigel visibly deflated.

"No," he admitted.

"Then give me a painkiller and let me get back to work," Frank replied sternly.

Nigel sighed as he pulled his first aid kit off of his back, doing as Frank requested. Slowly, gallingly, Frank eased himself back onto his feet. As the human limped over towards the machine, cradling his cracked rib with his left arm, Manny stood still, suddenly unsure if his desire to understand was worth the pain and awkwardness of the situation he had found himself in. He looked down slightly as Frank turned aimed an icy stare at him.

"This will only work for a few hours," Nigel said softly. "And I still hold to my opinion that you need to go to the medical bay."

"If we're alive in three hours, I'll take you up on that," Frank replied. He turned back to Manny,

"So, Manny," He said flatly. "What was so important that you had to give me the joys of a cracked rib?"

"I, uh..." Manny began, suddenly feeling foolish. "You know what, it can wait..."

Frank snorted.

"Well it's a little late for that, Manny," he replied sarcastically. "So please, by all means, at least give me a reason for why I am now battered and bruised."

Manny shuffled his feet slightly, scratching his head with his trunk; he felt like an idiot.

"I, uh...I was wondering if...uh..." he said jarringly, his mind undecided whether to state what he was really wanting to know or just make something up. As he looked up at Frank's stern stare he sighed. "I was wondering if you could tell us what really got you to come here. To this time."

Frank blinked. His face hardened.

"That's the reason," he growled flatly. "Seriously? We're trying to escape a death trap, and you want to know _that!"_

Suddenly, everything went silent; even the radio chatter that had become the background noise for the last few hours went quiet. Frank chuckled harshly, wincing at the pain it caused him.

"Oh I see, so you all want to know?" he said loudly, intended for everyone to hear it.

Terry shrugged.

"Well, yeah actually, boss," he stated.

_"We're a mite bit curious up here too, Frank,"_ Hudson's voice said as it blurted out of the radio.

_"Us too,"_ Diego's voice added.

Frank closed his eyes, rubbing them in sheer frustration. He looked up, raising his hands in seeming surrender.

"Fine then," he huffed. "The reason this entire expedition happened was because..."

_"WOAH, WOAH, WOAH!"_ Hudson shouted. _"What in God's name!"_

Manny and everyone else present in the hanger bay jumped back slightly as the time machine whirred into life. Manny stepped back in fear a little more as the sounds of devices whirring and whining into life filled the hanger. He glanced over at Frank, both of them sharing a look of panic. Frank grabbed the radio.

"Hudson, what's going on?" he demanded.

_"The machine is beginning pre-launch start up,"_ The wolf's voice replied. _"But...dammit...Frank, we're being locked out of everything!"_

Frank's eyes widened. He limped as fast as he could to the nearest computer console, his hands suddenly a whir as he pounded the keyboard.

"NO!" he yelled. "Hudson, I've been locked out! Try and shut it down!"

"_It's too late,"_ Hudson replied dejectedly. _"We've been completely shut out. We can't access anything...huh?"_

Manny looked around in confusion as every screen in the hangar, both on the time machine itself and on all the trucks that stood around him, suddenly started displaying the same image. He recognised the image as words - so many were around the base he forced himself to ask about them the night before. Frank looked at his computer screen in utter incomprehension,

"What the _hell_?" he muttered.

Curious and bemused, Manny walked up to Frank and stared at the screen, even though he knew he wouldn't know what it said.

"What is it?" he asked. Frank glanced back at him with confusion.

"It looks like a poem," he replied.

Manny cocked his head in bewilderment.

"A poem?" he exclaimed. Even though he he couldn't write - no animal could - he was familiar with the concept of poetry. "What does it say?"

Frank turned back to the screen.

"It says," he began. "'Through forces unseen, your wits now have been, decidedly put to shame. Let all time be appalled, as its guards go uncalled, for the..." The human paused, his face darkening into further confusion. "...for the remnant shall rise again.'"

Terry snorted, throwing the tools in his hands to the floor in derision.

"Goddammit," he muttered. "The sons of'a bitches weren't just happy with killin' us, so they decided to tell us they killed us through crap poetry!" he spat derisively. "Well goddamn them to hell!"

Chills went down Manny's spine. Though he didn't know who the 'guards' were - or who the 'remnant' were, for that matter - it still spooked him.

"What does it mean?" he asked nervously.

Frank didn't reply. He remained motionless, save for his shoulders slumping.

"It means we've lost," Frank mussitated. He slowly turned around, looking up at Manny forlornly. "We've been locked out of the system, so nothing we can do can stop it now."

Manny almost choked on the words. Eyes wide in panic, he tried to formulate words that conveyed his anger and frustration at Frank giving up so easily, but he stopped himself. He cast his mind to Claire, Ben, Sam, his beloved Peaches and Ellie as he scanned the faces, both distraught and angry, that were in the hangar bay with him. He knew they all had everything to lose, but he and Frank more so; unlike the others, they were the only fathers here, and their offspring were with them. His eyes softened, placing his trunk gently on Frank's shoulder.

"Fine," he said softly. "If we can't run, then we'll have to get ready. There's still a chance we can save our families."

"How can we," Frank replied dejectedly. "Our only chance of escape has just been slammed shut on our faces."

"We're still alive," Manny said forcefully. "And that means we can still fight our way out."

Frank perked up, a hopeful glint in his eye. After a moment he smiled.

"Let's give 'em hell," he said.

Manny smiled, both of them sharing a nod. The mammoth spun around, pointing his trunk squarely at Terry.

"Terry, go get the sabres out of the infirmary and grab as many weapons as you can get and bring them here," Manny stated. Terry grinned.

"On it, boss," he said. He spun round and began to jog, his voice echoing through the base as he used his radio. "Max, get your pack's collective asses out of the infirmary and meet me at the command centre."

Manny turned to the other humans.

"The rest of you, come with me," he said. "We're gonna round up the others and get as much food and medicine into here as we can," He moved the end of his trunk where the radio was attached up to his mouth. "James, how long do we have?"

_"Fifty seven minutes,"_ Hudson replied.

Manny smirked.

"More than enough time. Everyone who's not with Terry, meet me where the food's kept."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_"Manny, it's Terry. We've got as much as we can get out of the weapon stores; we're on our way back. How long do we have before all hell breaks loose, boss? Over."_

_"Terry, we've got thirty minutes. We're on our way back as well with what I reckon is enough food. We'll meet you there."_

_"Roger that, boss. Over and out."_

Sam listened unwillingly as she sat alone in a sparsely decorated room. She had found it the night before after Sid and Crash's fight spilled out over into it and, if she were honest, she was glad they did or else she'd have had no where to turn for solitude. She sat there silently, staring up at a small wooden cross that was the room's only decoration, clutching the only book that she could find there, occasionally opening it to read some of its lines; given the circumstances she would have wanted a Bible, but she was still glad to have found a book of prayers. She longed, and prayed, to find some solace in their situation. In truth, she was searching desperately for some meaning to what they were facing, disturbed at the seeming meaninglessness behind their actions. Even as tears streaked down her face, mouthing words in prayer silently, she could hear - and smell - that someone had entered the room. To her senses, it smelt of wolf.

"Come to join me James?" She said, quickly wiping away the tears on her face before she turned round and affected a smile. The wolf looked at her softly.

"This isn't the end, Sam," he said gently. "We'll get through this."

Her smile enforced happiness slowly mixed with sadness.

"I know it's not," she replied quietly. "Though it's currently hard to believe that we'll still be on _this_ side of eternity in a few hours time."

Hudson smiled slightly, pawing the ground in thought.

"It's funny," he muttered. "You've been the secretary-general of the UNTC for longer than I can remember, and my friend for at least four years if not more...and yet here we are, in a situation that seems to make my memories seem like a pipe dream." He walked slowly up beside her, sitting down on his hind legs. "But then, as you used to always say at the most irritating times, 'sometimes you have to have a little...faith'."

Sam glanced up at the cross, before turning back to Hudson.

"Faith in what, though..." she replied falteringly.

Hudson smiled slightly.

"In this case? Faith in the fact that we as a herd are stronger than the bastards who planned this trap," he said firmly. "And that we can and _will _beat them. Dying here was never a part of our destiny...and it never will be."

Sam chuckled slightly, her eyes turning once more to the cross.

"Amen to that..." she murmured.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The command centre seemed eerily silent to Frank. He picked his way through the mass of cables, circuits and discarded panels, making his way towards the row of consoles that lined the farthest wall. He paused, staring out at Manny, Ellie and Sid below, knowing from the radio chatter a minute before that they had in their paws and tusks the last batch of food they deemed as necessary. He sighed, scanning the instruments ahead of him casually. He knew they had twenty minutes left before the machine finished its start up cycle. He didn't want to believe it, but he knew it was going to happen all the same. Slowly, he drifted through the entangled mess towards the commander's office, taking one last chance to see it. He stared silently at the pictures, the books...all the things he suspected, deep down, he would never see again. His eyes eventually drifted to the wall behind the desk, and the sword hanging from it. He walked across the room, carefully stepping over the remains of the commander, still laying where Frank had put him a seeming eternity, or just days, before. Inwardly, he winced,

_Damn, _he thought, _I forgot to bury him._

He moved on from the remains, finally reaching the wall. Gently, he lifted the sword from its hooks, strapping it quickly to his belt and leg. He paused for a moment, feeling its weight and its presence beside him and smiled slightly; he knew it probably wouldn't do him much good, but at least he felt a little stronger, securer...

_safer._

"Hey Frank."

He jolted round, unsheathing the sword as he did so. He immediately relaxed as he saw Diego.

"Jesus Christ," he exclaimed. "You shouldn't startle me like that!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you! Manny sent me up here to get you," Diego replied. His eyes glanced down at the sword with interest. "What is that?" he asked.

Frank smiled slightly, realising that Diego had never seen a sword before. He hefted it in his hands, moving it so that the light gleamed off of it.

"It's a piece of good old fashioned weaponry," he replied. He shot a smirk at Diego. "It's called a sword, but an older term for it was a _sabre."_

Diego grinned.

"It's a good name for a weapon!" he said enthusiastically, but quickly he trailed off, looking down thoughtfully.

The silence hung for a moment in the air as Frank sheathed his sword back into its scabbard. He knew Diego well enough by that point to know he wanted to ask a question, and he knew full well what it was. He let out a sigh, intentionally switching on his radio so that all of them could hear it.

_And so I don't have to repeat this ever again, _He added mentally.

"I know what you want to ask me," he said slowly, looking intently at Diego. "And I know you all want to hear it, so here goes..."

He took a deep breath, suppressing the fear he always felt whenever the memories drifted to the surface. He knew they couldn't hunt him down anymore; as far as history told him, they were all dead.

_Here goes nothing._

"The only reason this expedition exists is because I was betrayed..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The whole hangar bay fell silent, listening intently to the radio.

"Betrayed!" Manny sputtered. "By who..."

"Shh!" the entire room hissed, silencing him immediately. Once more the radio emitted Frank's voice.

_"...I got worried about how many people started declaring how time travel could be used as a weapon, or as a means to more resources...so I turned to the only world organisation I thought I could trust; I turned to the United Nations..."_

_"United Nations?"_ Diego's voice could be heard to ask. _"What's that?"_

Terry picked up his radio.

"It's a council of every human tribe on earth," he stated. "Intended to keep the peace when it first came about."

_"Thanks Terry,"_ Frank said. _"So yeah, I went to meet with representatives of the most powerful tribes, called the Security Council...except, when I got there, I discovered they wanted to use the technology in every way I was arguing against. At first, I decided to not hand over the technology in an attempt to stop them, but they had already stolen the plans to build their own."_

Manny gasped, exchanging surprised and shocked looks with everyone in the room. For months he had been partly suspicious of Frank's motives, a fact brought to light painfully just days before. Suddenly, all of that began to change in his mind, and he started to see Frank in a new light; betrayed by his own people. He tried to picture mammoths betraying him: the thought left him cold.

"What happened?" Manny asked aloud, hoping Frank would explain.

_"They stated they would use the technology as they saw fit in order to 'preserve the stability and progress of the human race,'" Frank stated bitterly. "And so I argued with them, pleaded even, not to go through with it. I explained the dangers and pitfalls of it, and eventually they decided on a test..."  
_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- _

Sam and Hudson shared a surprised glance.

"So that's why the expedition came here," Sam whispered.

Hudson nodded slightly, clearly bemused.

"Your UN sounds much more vicious than the one I know and serve," he mumbled.

_"True, James,"_ Frank's voice stated, much to both his and Sam's surprise. _"But then yours didn't have the Troubles to deal with; any civilisation that lives through times when a third of all world governments collapsed and tens of millions die is bound to be a little more...vicious...but anyway, the test they decided upon would be a civilian trial to assess the impact of time travel on the timeline. For the sake of appearances, they told me they would bankroll everything and make it seem like a voluntary - and safe - mission for the good of all mankind...but if I dared tell anyone the truth, me and my family would be killed and they would go through with their plans as if my argument with them had never happened... and if I said no to them there and then they probably would also have killed me and my family anyway...I had no choice. I'm sorry, to all of you...this is all my fault. If only I hadn't built the damn thing..."_

_"I'm not sure 'ow you came to that conclusion, mate,"_ Buck's voice chimed in.

Sam nodded in agreement. Just the thought of knowing her nephew, her brother and her sister-in-law could have been killed for something as small as Frank letting slip enraged her. Burning with anger at leaders she no longer considered human, but monsters, who would willingly have a _child _killed, the thought of going back and shooting them herself crossed her mind.

"He's right, Frank. I don't think it's your fault."

Hudson frowned slightly, showing as much displeasure at the thought as she did.

"Hear, hear," he said.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Diego could tell by the look on the human's face that he wasn't as convinced as the others had seemed to be. Wearily, he lifted up the radio.

"Thanks guys," he said quietly. " Diego and I are back on our way hangar now."

_"We're going to start heading back too,"_ Sam's voice stated.

_"Make it quick,"_ Manny's voice said. _"We don't have much time left."_

"Roger," Frank said quietly. "Over and out."

He switched off the radio and immediately slumped into the seat, carefully sliding the sword through a gap beneath the arm rest. Diego looked at him empathetically; he had turned against - and fought - Soto to save a herd he had been charged with leading to their deaths. But Soto was one sabre; the thought of the leaders of _every tribe on earth _forcing Frank into such a situation sent Diego's mind reeling.

He tried to find something to say: some meaningful phrases or wise words, but nothing came. Diego sat down on his hind legs, opting to stay silent. Moments passed as he watched Frank scribble something onto a piece of paper, fold it, and place it into his inner jacket pocket. Eventually, Diego's eyes drifted aside, focussing on the skeletal corpse that still lay beside the desk. He glanced up in curiosity.

"I've been in here several times, and I always forgot to ask; who's the dead guy?" he asked plainly.

Frank spun his chair, looking down at the corpse with a neutral expression.

"That would be the base's former commander," he murmured. "Who decided to shoot himself rather than see this disaster unfold..." he trailed off, his eyes glazing over. "Lucky bastard."

Diego shot Frank a puzzled look. "Lucky?" he quizzed. His expression turned to worry, realising how many weapons were on or near Frank. "You're not thinking of doing the same, are you?"

"What?" Frank said in surprise, spinning around to give Diego a puzzled look. He smiled slightly as he realised what he had implied. "Oh...no, I'm not."

"Then why is he lucky?" Diego pressed.

"He's lucky because he got to choose his own fate," Frank said quietly. He eased himself out of his chair, clutching his cracked rib. "Something we've been denied...something_ I've_ been denied for the last three years..."

Diego nodded in understanding.

"Our fate hasn't been decided yet," he said earnestly.

Frank smiled mirthlessly,

"Perhaps..." he murmured. "Perhaps..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Sixty seconds," Terry said mutedly.

The words echoed in the hanger forebodingly. Even though there were all gathered together, no one spoke; no words seemed appropriate. Manny clutched Ellie and Peaches tightly. He thought he had known fear before; he had seen off countless threats and disasters. But at that moment, waiting for the countdown to run out, it felt to him as if all those things were unworthy of the word 'fear'; he at least knew what he was dealing with then, could see it, touch it, defeat it. Being unable to do anything about it and not knowing what 'it' even was struck fear into the very depths of his soul.

Frank looked over wearily at the countdown, letting out a heavy sigh as he did so.

"Twenty seconds left," he muttered.

The herd huddled together, all of them genuinely worried. Manny held his family tightly and closed his eyes. Diego shared one last glance at Buck, Terry and Frank. In all honesty, he wasn't sure if it's meaning was 'see you on the other side' or 'goodbye'.

"Ten seconds!" Frank shouted over the noise of the machine whirring and whining into life. "Get ready!"

Moments later, flash of bright light filled the hangar. Within an instant it disappeared, revealing an empty hangar. The base, suddenly abandoned, fell silent.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

End of Chapter 29  
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**And so the herd are off to face their fears...what will happen next? That's for me to know and you to find out once chapter 30 has returned to me in all its wonderful beta'd goodness!**

**Oh yes...I forgot to mention...if you are reading this, then congratulations! You have officially read the equivalent of a short novel...and now there are only 5 chapters left of this story. ALMOST THERE! :D**

**Please do review, and I hope you all have a great few weeks!**

**Till chapter 30,**

**Trev**


	30. The Wages of Sin

**Hey everyone!**

**So I go quiet for a couple of months and then suddenly loads of chapters start appearing :P - thank you all for the great reviews! I know not everyone has gotten a chance to review yet...or probably even read it...but the reviews i got were great :D  
I have been working up to this chapters for months and months now, and I am so excited to put it up that I'm not even going to wait for the rewrites for 5-10 to be finished (i will have them up as soon as i can though, so keep a weathered eye on the horizon :P). I hope you enjoy!**

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x **

Manny didn't know what to expect; he had never travelled through time before. His eyes still clamped shut, he hadn't seen what travelling even _looked _like. He hadn't felt anything unusual, which surprised him a little. But his senses told him everything had changed. The hangar, previously only resounding to the noise of the time machine, now echoed with screams and shouts that travelled on the bitingly cold wind blowing through the slightly open hangar bay doors. The sheer shock of the chill alone caused him to open his eyes widely, staring around him with a mix of panic and curiosity. Immediately, he saw ice covering everything, with a surprisingly large amount of snow spilling into the hangar through the large bay doors they had left open. He glanced back to the herd in concern,

"Is everyone ok?" He asked.

"We're all still here, boss," Terry replied. "Whenever here is...and damn it's cold!"

Frank moved over to the machine's consoles, looking at them sternly.

"Eight months," Frank answered. "We've just jumped eight months ahead."

Manny stood perfectly still, much to his own surprise. He had feared and dreaded this moment for most of the day, and he still did. Yet, now that it was upon him, he felt calm and composed. As he looked around, he saw the same expression etched on everyone's faces. In a way, Manny felt relieved that they no longer had to guess and second guess themselves as they had done for hours on end; though they faced a situation geared towards their deaths, at least they now knew what they faced. Shored up by this grim line of thought, Manny turned towards the large bay doors, giving the rest of the herd a gestured jerk of his head, signaling them to follow him.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The world they entered as they left the hangar bay was one of pure chaos. Thousands of animals of countless species thronged the previously empty base. It would have shocked Manny if they hadn't seen a ghost image of such a scene just that morning.

"What the hell are they running from?" Terry quizzed, slinging his gun from his shoulder in expectation of a fight. Manny glanced back at Diego and Frank intently,

"Any ideas?" He asked.

Both of them shrugged, sharing a knowing glance.

"It's only a hunch," Diego said. "But I'm guessing..."

Manny's eyes narrowed at his friend's sudden pensiveness,

"What's the hunch?" He pressed. Annoyance welled within him as his friend seemed utterly lost in his thoughts, sharing an unspoken conversation with Frank.

He hated being left in the dark like this, especially over something so important.

"Well, there's only one way of finding out..." Diego replied.

Before Manny could even think of a reply, both the sabre and Frank started running, plunging themselves into the midst of the panicked masses surrounding them. Manny followed as fast as he could, the refugees retreating, creating a path through which he and the rest of the herd moved. To Manny's frustration, it took them much longer to weave through the crowd than Frank or Diego, wishing for the first time in his life he wasn't a mammoth...

_Or maybe just thinner? _His mind chided him.

Eventually, he made it to the gate.

"Couldn't you have just told us your hunch first?" He protested.

Frank and Diego didn't reply; they didn't even register Manny's arrival, both of them still staring grimly out of the base and down the narrow confines of Glacier Pass. Intrigued, Manny looked up and nearly snorted in derision at what he saw. Beyond the last trails of fleeing animals, he saw one, lone sabre. In a way, Manny was a little disappointed; given their faces, he had expected to see dozens of enemies lining up, not just _one_.

"Well," He said casually. "Seems like we've got nothing to worry about."

Diego shot him a puzzled look,

"What are you talking about?" He shot back. "That's just a scout."

"A scout for what?" Manny retorted. "I don't see any pack out there..."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, mate." Buck murmured.

Manny scanned around him, looking for the weasel. Eventually, he spotted him in the corner of his eyes, standing atop the base's walls looking outwards. Immediately, Manny's heart started to sink.

"Why, what do you see?" He asked cautiously.

Buck sighed, looking down at Manny forlornly,

"'undreds," He replied. "Maybe even thousands...an' not just sabres; I can see bears, mammoths...'eck, pretty much any species that would view them an' us as lunch...or sport," He said, gesturing pointedly at the thousands of refugees behind them. "And then some..."

Manny's heart skipped a beat in fear as gasps and anxious murmurings erupted amongst the herd. He looked back at the lone sabre, now very much ominous, and wildly racked his brain for a solution.

_We have to fight, _he thought to himself.

After a moment, he furrowed his brow and looked back at the herd firmly,

"Quiet down!" he said bluntly. Immediately, the herd fell silent, looking at him. "Ok, we tried to escape this, but now it's here. We need some ideas."

Sam glanced behind her, looking at the thousands crammed into the base. She snapped back, staring firmly at Manny.

"We have to get these people to safety," She said fervently. "We can still run; we get everyone out through that gate," She pointed at the locked gate behind her in the distance, "and make our way north."

Hudson shook his head,

"We can't head north!" He protested. "In case you haven't noticed, it's winter; everyone here will be dead or dying from the cold in a few days at most!" He looked over at Manny. "I say we use one of the short range time machines."

Diego cocked his head in confusion,

"I thought the reason we weren't able to use them was because of the trap they set for us," He retorted. Manny knew who he meant; they all did. Even as Diego continued, Manny felt a renewed anger at their unseen nemesis. "Aren't their traps still there?"

"They wanted to force us _here,_" Hudson stated. "My guess is they don't much care what we do here...except die, of course."

"You're guessing?" Diego said incredulously. "Our lives are at stake! We need more than _guessing_!"

"I don't know," Hudson retorted. "And, to be blunt, neither do you! It might still be active, it might not...but if it saves the herd, it's worth a shot!"

Manny was tempted by the idea. But his eyes cast upwards, looking at the refugees.

"We would we be able to get them out too?" He asked, pointing his truck at the masses. Hudson deflated a little, shaking his head,

"There wouldn't be enough time," He said quietly. "And there's probably not enough devices."

"Then it's out of the question," Frank interjected fiercely. "I am not prepared to let thousands die just so we live!"

Hudsons' jaw slackened in surprise,

"If this herd dies, the war that wipes out most of history will happen, and all will be for nothing," He snapped. "You know this! You've seen the records here-"

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN!" Frank roared. "There are thousands of people _here_ who are still alive!" He pulled right up to Hudson, a look in his eyes that - to Manny - seemed like he was entertaining the thought of throttling the wolf.

"I've had to live with the blood of sixty seven _innocent _people on my hands," He growled. "And it has been hell. I am not willing to let the blood of thousands be on all of our consciences, regardless of the consequences."

Manny's eyebrows arched upwards. It was the first time Frank had said anything about his past outside of the last few years, and not only the situation but his admission - _confession _he mentally corrected - confused him.

_What does this have to do with our situation?_

As Manny's mind raced, he made the link between the statement and Sam's story.

_Oh no, _He thought. As much as he sympathized, he knew now wasn't the time for atonement, especially not if it put Manny's family in danger. He opened his mouth, but Sam beat him to it.

"This isn't London, Frank!" She interjected. "And this isn't the time for a damned heroic stand!" Frank shook his head,

"Oh, but it is," He replied. "Only _here_ we're the good guys protecting the innocents. _Here_ we can make a difference," He straightened out, looking keenly at Manny. "Whatever we do, we need to save these people too."

Manny nodded, agreeing with the sentiment. But he was still at a loss as to what they should do.

"You got any ideas, Frank?" He said.

"We are the most heavily armed herd on _earth_," He said with conviction. "We can fight them off just long enough for the refugees to be out of range."

Manny raised his eyebrow, intrigued by the statement, but Diego beat him to it again.

_why is everyone seemingly faster at this than me! _He thought in exasperation.

"Out of range of what?" The sabre quizzed.

Frank pulled the keycard from his pocket, holding it up for all to see. His eyes, filled with fire, seemingly drilled into Manny.

"We blow the base up," He said. "And make sure _that_ army is in it when it happens."

Sam gawped in shock,

"But what about the timeline?" She exclaimed. "How can we set this right if there's no time machine?"

"There's fifteen other bases in this era, Sam," Frank replied. "As long as we get a truck out of here, we will have a copy of this base's database and thus a map. One of them _might_ still have a working machine. But the one certainty in this crappy situation is this; if we don't stop this army here and now, then it will only be a matter of time before they hunt us down. And they won't stop until they have killed us all."

The herd exploded into arguments, everyone putting forward their own cases. Manny sighed in exasperation,

"GUYS!" He shouted. "This isn't the time for stu..."

"DIEGO!"

The voice, echoing on the wind, silenced everyone.

"DIEGO! I know you're in there!"

Manny swerved round, staring back at the scout near the entrance to the Pass, realising with unease that the lone sabre was no longer alone. Beside him stood two more sabres, one of them badly scarred. His eyes widened in realisation,

"Oh no." He murmured.

Diego, now standing beside him, tensed up.

"Soto!" He shouted back.

"You owe me a debt, Diego!" Soto called back. "Surrender now, and I might show some leniency to you and the traitorous dogs in that pathetic herd of yours."

Diego paused, smiling slightly to himself.

"I need to talk it through with the others first!" he replied. "I need some time!"

Manny gasped in sheer surprise,

"Diego _what are you doing_?" He hissed sharply.

"Buying us some time to get ready," Diego whispered back quickly. As if nothing had been said, he straightened out again, raising his voice. "Will you give me time?"

Save the screams of terror behind them, the Pass fell silent for a moment.

"I will give you three minutes Diego!" Soto answered. "Three minutes!"

Diego smiled widely, looking keenly up at Manny,

"Soto's always let his ego win out over tactics," He said. "We both know the truth; he's going to kill us all anyway even _if_ we surrender. Except he honestly thinks we're gonna do it anyway."

Manny smiled back, giving Diego a playful punch on the shoulder with his trunk.

"Good work!" He said. As he turned back to the herd, he saw a different attitude from the one just thirty seconds before; Manny saw most of them suddenly raring for a fight.

"Ok, this is what we are going to do," He said firmly. "The sabres, James and anyone who can use a gun will create a diversion as me and the others get these animals to safety. We are going to blow up the base."

"And how will we get out once we've finished playin' diversion, boss?" Terry asked.

Manny glanced over at Frank, sharing a knowing glance. The human stepped forward, thrusting the keycard into James' paws.

"James, set the base's self destruct for twenty minutes on a silent countdown," He said, raising his hand to halt the impending protest from the wolf. "It's cutting it close I know, but we probably won't be able to hold much longer than that. Once you've set it up, get four trucks from the hangar and have them ready to go by the northern gate, which we will ride like hell when the time comes."

Manny looked at everyone firmly, giving them a slight smile,

"We have little time so please don't argue, just go."

"But..." James tried to say.

"Just GO!" Manny shouted.

With that, the herd broke into three; Hudson ran into the complex as Manny took the others towards the mass of animals now cowering by the gate in the northern wall. Frank turned to those that remained, commanding them as if they were soldiers.

"Terry, Sam, Nigel, Charlie, take defensive positions to the right flank of the gate, Buck, Claire and I will take the left. Diego, Max, you and the sabres hold the gate itself. We have only to hold out for a little while," He said, now looking at the command centre that towered above him. "Show them no mercy; they'll show none to you."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Soto stood with his army, vainly anticipating surrender from his prey. He had waited, even desired, this moment for years; a chance to take revenge on the traitor Diego, and all the other traitors in his herd. But most of all, he wanted to savour the despair they will feel as he eats the little baby mammoth in their presence, before killing them. Even after all these years, he desired it; what better torture than to kill those they love before their eyes?

"Remember," He shouted to his troops as an afterthought, "I want the baby and it's herd alive! You can eat everything else!"

The eager, ravenous roars around him brought a wide and cruel grin to his face. In the distance he could see movement at the entrance of the human monstrosity that now blocked off the Pass. He stood gleefully, expecting them to come grovelling to his feet as he had constantly fantasised about. But nothing of the sort happened, and what he saw quickly struck the grin from his face. As he watched the activity keenly, he realised they were taking up defensive positions. He tensed up, his mind filling with vitriolic rage,

"INSOLENT SWINE!" He spat hatefully.

Finally a distant, but defiant, voice echoed off of the passage's walls; Soto recognised it as none other than Diego himself,

"Hey, Soto!" He shouted mockingly. "If you want us, come and get us you coward!"

Soto let out an almighty roar; filled with outrage and anger.

"ATTACK!" He screamed. He had had enough of this herd and it's interfering ways. As far as he was concerned, it was his turn for revenge.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

As the horde poured into the Pass, the defenders seemed serene. Diego had seen it countless times in battle; the calm before the storm. The floor began to rumble angrily beneath his feet, causing him to tense up, preparing for battle. He visibly jumped as the emotionless drone computer sputtered out of his radio,

"Warning," The computer droned. "All personnel are advised to retreat to a distance of two miles. Self destruct in t minus twenty minutes. There will be no further audio warning."

In a way, Diego was glad he would never have to hear the computer's voice again. After a moment, the radio spluttered once more,

"All set," James muttered. "The base is set to blow in twenty minutes. Anything else you need me to do?"

Diego saw Frank press some buttons on his watch, before replying,

"Get four of the trucks from the hangar bay ready by the northern gate for a swift exit, and then man the gun on the one by this gate."

Before Frank had stopped talking, the first line of Soto's army came into view, and even he did a double take. Ahead of the lions, tigers and bears were several mammoths, charging furiously at them. Wide eyed, Frank lifted his rifle,

"OPEN FIRE!" He screamed.

The walls echoed with the deadly roar of machine gun fire as a seeming hail of bullets flew into the charging horde, aimed squarely for the mammoths that formed the front. Swept over by gunfire, the mammoths collapsed to the floor as successive streams of bullets slammed into their skulls, instantly creating another barrier against Soto.

"Max, Diego, get ready to attack any that get past us," Terry grumbled into the radio.

"Roger, boss." Max replied in return. Within seconds machine gun fire picked up once more into a roar, one that even drowned out the screams and yelps of the enemy. Yet for every one that they killed trying to clamber over the dead mammoths, two more seemed to appear, hardly shot before they reached the gate. As the dead mounted, Soto's horde drew closer and closer. Within minutes, Diego and Max were already busy fighting those that got past the wall of bullets that now pelted the attackers as they clambered over the dead.

Claws fully extended, Diego was in his element; for the first time in years he got the chance to fight as a sabre, and for the people he loved. He slashed one attacker with his claws as he bit into another's neck with his teeth, only letting go after he could feel his teeth crushing everything between them. One after another he felled them, roaring in defiant glee as he did so, only to find himself being forced backwards with every kill. Slowly, but surely, the sabres found themselves penned into the gate, cut off from the humans and Buck who now found themselves hemmed in, firing wildly at anything that moved. Diego roared, leaping forward into a grizzly bear that stood between him and Frank, sinking his claws into his chest as he gouged his neck. Before the grizzly had even dropped to the floor in death, Diego had pounced on another animal, cutting a bloody swathe through the army towards Frank and Buck. As he sliced and stabbed at several sabres, nearly within reach of Frank, he felt a sharp sting in his side. Before he knew what was going on, he had been thrown into the concrete of the base's wall.

Blood dripping from his nose, he jumped to his feet and prepared to pounce on his attacker, only to realise that he was facing off against a mammoth, it's deep black pelt now stained with various red patches of blood. Diego paused and lifted his head, looking the mammoth defiantly in the eyes; if he were to die, he would die honourably. As the mammoth lifted his tusks for the killing swipe, it suddenly trumpeted in pain. Diego watched as wound after wound were ripped into the mammoth, until it crashed into the ground and gave up the ghost. In startled surprise, he looked across the pass at Terry who remained briefly still, his smoking gun still aimed at the mammoth. Both of them locked eyes and smiled,

"You owe me one!" Terry shouted. Grinning, Diego immediately leapt back into the battle, tearing his way through the enemy. As he joined up with Frank and Buck, he could hear James screaming at the other sabres,

"TAKE COVER!" The wolf bellowed. As Max's pack ducked to the left and the right, Diego immediately saw why. With an almighty noise, streams of metal tore through the air, every attacker seemingly collapsing to the floor in its path. James held down the trigger on the truck's chain gun, spraying Soto's army until they snapped and ran for cover. As the few survivors of the first wave dived behind the deceased pachyderms for protection, Hudson finally let go of the trigger and jumped down to the ground, moving within sight of Frank.

"We've only got ten minutes!" He shouted at the human. The human checked his watched to confirm it before he nodded,

"Ok, we're on schedule," Frank said firmly. "Terry, Buck, Diego, Charlie, you will hold the gate with me for a few more minutes," He looked at Hudson, Sam, Claire and Nigel, quickly glancing at the trucks that lay ready, and back to them. "Guys, get the trucks ready; we're going to need to get out of here quickly, and very soon." The four of them nodded and slipped into the battered truck, driving it towards the north gate where the other trucks lay. As Frank watched them go, he immediately regretted not saying goodbye to Claire, just in case the plan wouldn't work...

_It will work, _he mentally added, _stop being so defeatist!_

He quickly shook the thoughts out of his head and took his place on the front line, waiting for Soto to make his next move. As he squinted to see past the carcasses of the mammoths ahead of them, he grew on edge; nothing seemed to be advancing. Painfully aware that the clock was ticking, he grew more and more wary, trying to divine what they were up to.

Suddenly, he realised something _was_ approaching, but not where he was expecting; he watched nonplussed as dozens of shadows darkened the blood tinted snow. Buck, seeing them too, immediately looked up, gasping in shock.

"VULTURES!" He bellowed, pointing his pistol at the sky and started shooting. Before anyone realised what was going on, rocks the size of apples started dropping from the sky. After dodging a rock aimed squarely for him, Frank pointed his rifle upwards, firing wildly at the vultures who now pelted them. Every gun now pointed upwards, bird after bird crashing to the ground, yet still more took their place. So involved were they in shooting them that none of the humans noticed the ground had started to rumble once more; even the sabres, busy dodging rocks, didn't realise at first.

But when they had, it was already too late.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Come on, keep moving!" Manny shouted as thousands of refugees ran for their lives, away from the base. Manny knew from the radio chatter that they had just fifteen minutes to get two miles, and he knew - now that they were trying to do so - that it was _impossible_. As he scanned the mass of animals, and the distance they had travelled, he panicked, remembering what devastation the destruction of the previous (and smaller) base had caused. He looked over anxiously at Ellie,

"We're too close," He panicked. "We're too close!"

He turned his attention back to the refugees and began to run up the column, the part of the herd that was with him following suit.

"Hurry up!" He screamed. "We have fifteen minutes to get two miles away or we will all be DEAD! GET A MOVE ON!"

-x-x-x-x-x-

"RHINO STAMPEDE!"

Diego's hoarse bellow quickly drew Frank's attention back to the ground, horror sinking in as he realised that the vultures were a distraction. Without doing anything to stop it, they were now faced with several angry rhinos, shielding hundreds of ravenous animals from gunfire with their armour-like thick skin.

Frank stopped firing, staring wide eyed at the assault.

"RETREAT!" He cried out.

Still pelted by rocks from the sky, the beleaguered herd fled behind the protection of the base's walls, firing backwards and upwards as they did so and shutting the gate behind them. But, to their horror, the walls proved no match for the sheer force of the stampede. Time seemed to slow as they watched the impressive walls splinter and crack as the rhinos rammed them. Slowly, but surely, the cracks shattered into gashes, and the wall tottered. They heard yet more thumps and thuds as they battered against the edifice, and it collapsed with an almighty crash, crushing one of the herd's sabres and the battered truck in the process. Before any words could be spoken, hundreds of bears, hyenas and sabres poured through the breach, chasing wildly as the herd broke out into a full blown rout, only to be outrun and pinned down across the board. Even Hudson, Sam, Claire and Nigel, all manning the chain guns of their respective trucks, could only put a dent in the surrounding swarm.

Every member of the herd - sabre, human, wolf and weasel alike - fought viciously, inching their way towards the trucks and safety, thinning out the horde as they did so. Afforded a brief pause, Frank and Diego could see the whole battlefield, and what they saw wasn't encouraging. Most of the herd's sabres had been overpowered and killed, with Terry, Charlie and Buck being hounded by several grizzlies. As Diego and Frank fought their way through, creating an open path to the trucks, Diego roared,

"We're gonna make it!" He bellowed. "We're gonna live!"

-x-x-x-x-

Terry yelled fiercely, felling animal after animal as Buck and Charlie did the same. With every kill they moved closer to the trucks, their hopes rising as they did. Suddenly, the air was pierced by Diego's roar. Worried, Terry shot a look around, only to find himself staring at the chest of a grizzly bear. Before he could even think, he was slashed across the face by its claws. Screaming out in pain, he turned back to find the grizzly lunging at him. He reached for his knife as he aimed his rifle squarely at his face,

"DIE SCUMBAG!" He yelled, firmly pulling the trigger.

But the grizzly swatted the gun away, twisting his arm backwards, pelting the bullets outwards and backwards. Enraged and in pain, he slammed the knife in his other hand through the grizzly's eye, watching as it crumpled to the floor, still twitching.

"Terry, come on!" Buck shouted from behind. Rifle still blazing, he sprinted to trucks, gleeful that they might survive this. He turned to see how Diego and Frank were doing.

What he saw almost halted him.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank saw what was happening. He couldn't believe it, but he saw it all the same. As Terry's gun was smacked away, it aimed directly at _them_. Time slowed for him as he realised they didn't have time to take cover.

In a split second's decision, Frank jumped for the sabre beside him.

"Diego!" He shouted, grabbing hold of the sabre as he did so. A string of bullet holes pocketed the rock beside them before Frank gasped in shock as he was hit twice, the bullets ripping into his insides. Diego saw the wounds, his face contorting from shock,

"NO!" He screamed.

In agony, Frank ignored Diego's cry, and forced his body into a limped, pained run. The stunned drivers of trucks, having momentarily stopped, quickly resumed firing upon the horde, protecting the retreating groups from any further harassment, but the damage was done.

Even though they had reached the trucks, and the possibility of safety, Frank knew it didn't matter for him.

He knew he was dying.

He checked his watch and cursed; they only had two minutes left to escape. As he saw Diego, Terry and Buck look at him fearfully, he summoned up all of his strength and straightened out.

"There's no time," He said firmly. "Get out, all of you! There's less than two minutes till this place blows."

"But.." Buck attempted.

"GO, ALL OF YOU!" Frank shouted, firing his rifle at the horde, drawing his sword from its scabbard as he did so. "I'll buy you some time."

Begrudgingly, the herd got into their trucks. Feeling weaker and weaker, Frank stumbled backwards, still firing, eventually falling against the base's northern wall.

Before they left, he glanced over at Claire one last time, seeing her eyes well up as she slipped into the driver's seat of one of the trucks. As their eyes met time really did feel like it stood still for them. In that moment, Frank regretted having not told her everyday how much he loved her, how much she meant to him...

how painful it was to leave her, especially like this.

"Goodbye Claire," He said. "I love you, now get the hell out of here!"

Obliging the dying man's final wish, the trucks sped out through the gate, leaving Frank alone. He slammed the gate controls, letting out a sharp breath as the gate whirred shut, cutting the herd off from the horde. Relieved, he leant against the wall, awaiting death. But then, to his surprise, the hordes of animals did not rip him to shreds, but stood aside as a sabre walked towards him. He blinked, focusing his eyes on the tiger that stood before him. He recognised the scars on the sabre's side as being the same one he nearly killed, all those months before. He firmed himself up, looking the tiger calmly in the eyes,

"Soto." He muttered.

The sabre glared at him, bearing his teeth,

"Where are they!" He growled.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Manny! MANNY!"

Manny swerved round, looking keenly down the trails of refugees to see Sid, jumping and waving wildly.

"What is it?" He called back.

Sid pointed behind him urgently. Following Sid's paw, he looked behind the sloth, his heart sinking as he did so. He saw some animals struggling in the snow.

"WE HAVE TO HELP THEM!" Sid yelled back.

Manny panicked. He knew Sid was right, but there was so little time. He glanced up at the base, seeing four trucks now coming towards them. And yet, even as he was trying to argue the reasons why not to help, Frank's voice entered his thoughts;

_I am not willing to let the blood of thousands be on our consciences..._

He sighed, plunging his way through the snow towards the beleaguered animals. To his shock, Ellie and the possums had come with him. He shook his head, wanting to say no, but was silenced by a firm glare from her. Sid jumped up onto his tusks as they passed him by.

"Let's do this as quickly as possible!" Manny said aloud.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Come on, come on, _come on_! Can't these things go any faster!" Nigel said in a panic.

Hudson pressed the accelerator down as far as it would go, glancing nervously in the rear view mirror at the base.

"How long do we have?" He shouted at his passenger. Nigel checked his watch and visibly panicked.

"We have twenty seconds!" He shrieked.

Hudson glanced to his left and right at the other trucks, all carrying the survivors, his heart sinking.

_We're too close._

He grabbed the radio and pressed it to his mouth,

"Everyone buckle up! This is about to get _very_ hairy..."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank smiled slightly, relishing the angered look on the sabre's face.

"The herd is gone, _Soto," _He spat the last word in disdain. "You have failed, and for the last time too. You will never hound them, or anyone else, ever again."

Though he spoke defiantly, Frank no longer had the strength to stand. Against his will, he slipped down the wall onto the ground, streaking the wall with blood. The sabre glanced at it and grinned maliciously.

"Brave words...for a fool," He retorted. "Instead, I shall have the pleasure of watching you die, before hunting down your friends and having my revenge."

Frank checked his watch,

_ten seconds._

He grinned, letting out a chuckle which brought blood trickling from his mouth.

"Oh but the pleasure's mine," He said forcefully. Using what little strength he had left, he lunged forward, piercing the arrogant sabre through the chest with his sword. He let go of the hilt, slamming himself back onto the wall, a pained grin on his face. "Time's up, Soto."

Rather than let a shocked and dying sabre be the last thing he saw on earth, Frank closed his eyes and thought of Claire, Ben and the herd.

_"_Goodbye Claire," He whispered to himself, opening his eyes and staring to the sky. "Goodbye Ben. I love you both."

The base behind them flashed blindingly bright. Within mere moments, fire engulfed Frank, Soto and his entire army, and they were no more.

-x-x-x-x-

Manny could only stand and watch as the base exploded into a firestorm, every edifice seemingly exploding into a blaze.

"Oh no..." He whispered.

Within seconds the sheer pressure of the blast ripped through them, knocking hundreds of animals off their feet. Withstanding the pressure just barely, Manny watched in wide eyed horror as a wall of fire and debris came crashing towards them. The trucks, as if weightless, were launched off the ground, tumbling through the air on the wave of devastation. Soon it consumed the hind end of the refugees, ploughing through everything before finally hitting the rest of the herd.

The world became dark.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

End of Chapter 30  
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Haha, cruel of me to leave it as such a crucial point, eh? Well, thats a cliffhanger for ya :P**  
**I really want to know what you guys think, so please _PLEASE _review - I don't mind if its just a one word review, or a long one! My only request is, should you find concrit, please give it in a positive, constructive manner!**

**Till chapter 31, adieu **


	31. Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night

**Hello everyone!**

**Thank you all for the great reviews! It really does mean a lot to me :P - especially now that we're nearing the end of this journey! Flip, if you're reading this, then you have somehow read through 122,000 words of my scribblings. Kudos to you guys :D**

**This chapter was, in a lot of ways, the easiest...and the hardest, to the write. And, truth be told, I'm not sure how this one will be taken...but this is what ive been building the story towards for a very long time! Ladies and gentlefolk; this be the second chapter of the climax :P**

**As always, please read and review. Constructive criticism to be given positively rather than negatively etc etc etc...if you've gotten to this point, i suspect you know the drill :P**

**Without further ado...**

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Help! Somebody help me please!"

Terry's voice echoed dimly through Hudson's brain as he slowly returned to consciousness. Immediately, he began coughing and spluttering, blinking his eyes to refocus them. Dazed and confused, he stared out of the shattered windscreen at the vista with confusion, trying to ascertain why the ground was to his right and not beneath the truck where it was supposed to be.

"For God's sakes, somebody help me!" Terry's voice bellowed through the air once more.

Hudson dabbed his paw on his wet face, realising on inspection that his hand was covered in blood. Suddenly, everything flooded back to him: the battle, the explosion, their attempted escape.

_Nigel._

The wolf turned as far in his seat as the seatbelt would allow, looking into the back of the truck. He froze as he stared at Nigel, who was slumped sideways, his eyes unblinking and his chest still as stone. Hudson sighed sadly,

"Goodbye, doctor." He whispered, reaching out with his paw to shut his eyes.

"Help! Please!" Terry screamed at the top of his voice.

Gripping his seat, Hudson unclasped his belt and carefully picked his way through the windscreen. As he placed his paws on solid footing, he scanned his surroundings, barely managing to hold back his shock. The sky had grown dark with the smoke that rose menacingly from a towering inferno where the base once stood, small specks of ash falling like corrupted snow. As he looked further around he could make out the wrecks of the three other trucks, one of them very near to a mass of animals, only half of which he could make out as moving. He turned back to the car wrecks, seeing Diego and Terry frantically trying to pull someone out of an upturned truck, its chassis contorted and crumpled. He came over as fast as his cleaved and bloodied legs would allow him, juddering to a halt in complete shock as he saw the scene unfold before him. Terry looked over at the wolf,

"Hudson!" He shouted. "Give us a hand! Sam's hurt!"

The wolf approached, attempting to pry the metal of the windows wide enough to ease her out. Diego, a large gash across the right of his torso showing itself under a hastily made bandage, glanced at the wolf and the truck he just came from.

"Where's Nigel?" He asked. The wolf shook his head slightly,

"He didn't make it," He muttered quietly, still forcing the metal as he did so. "There, I think we can get her out now."

As they eased her out, their hearts sank; she was bleeding heavily. Immediately, Terry ripped a part of his shirt, applying it to the largest wound, praying it would help.

"It's ok, baby," He said fearfully. "I'm here, I'm here."

Sam placed her hand on Terry's chest, forcing him to look her in the eyes. She exerted a calmness and certainty that immediately struck fear in him. With great effort, she smiled slightly.

"Thank you, my darling, for such a wonderful life." She whispered. Terry's eyes widened, tears immediately filling them.

"NO!" He cried, cradling her in his arms. "Please don't die, Sam. Stay with me, baby."

She smiled once more, tears now filling her eyes too. She moved her hand, placing it on his cheek,

"Don't worry, Terry," She whispered. "We'll see each other again. I go to be with God."

Tears fell freely down Terry's cheek as he looking pleadingly into his wife's eyes.

"Please don't go," He begged. "I'll do anything. Don't leave me!" He quieted into a whimper.

She smiled slightly, reaching slowly into her pocket. She weakly thrust a little book into his hands.

"I've marked out the passage I want read," She whispered. "When you bury me."

Terry's lips quivered,

"No! You're not gonna die! Please, stay with me Sam!"

"I love you, Terry." She whispered back. "Always...have..."

Slowly, her eyes glazed over, and her hand fell sideways, hanging slackly. Terry sat there, still holding her in one arm and the book she gave in another, staring in disbelief at the lifeless eyes of the woman he loved. With a shaking hand he closed them for the last time, clutching her tightly to his chest and started to rock back and forth. He stared at the sky and screamed. No words formed, just pure, raw emotion. His roar of despair broke down into sobs, and he held her even closer to himself, weeping into his beloved wife's hair. Hudson could do nothing but watch, tears streaking down his face, but for much more than the loss of a friend. He remembered Sam from years ago, a Sam who lived to lead the organisation he worked for, a Sam who had sent him back to the ice age on a mission...

But his world was gone. Even though they hadn't even met up with the others yet, three of their number were already confirmed dead, and with them any hope of the future they would have created.

For the first time ever, Hudson was faced with the knowledge that he was truly alone, the only trace that a hopeful future could have happened. He knew, in an all too horrifyingly literal sense, that that future lay dead on the field around him. Taking one last look at Terry, Hudson broke into a run to the last truck. When Diego caught up with him, he could already see they were too late. They looked forlornly at the sight of Claire's lifeless body slumped over the steering wheel, bits of ash and snow falling gently into her blood soaked hair through the broken windscreen. Diego ran to the car and pulled her out, practically ripping the door off as he did so. With great care, he picked her up, shifted her onto his back, and started to walk in the direction of the mass of people they could see in the distance. Hudson remained, desperately trying to recall who else was in that truck. His eyes widened slightly,

"Max!" He shouted, lunging himself into the car, reaching towards the back seat. "I'm coming Max! Just you hold o..."

But he halted once more, looking glumly at the dead sabre that lay pinned by crumbled metal. Dejected, he slumped onto the seat he was standing on, finding it hard to keep any modicum of calm. To his surprise, the computer display in the centre of the dashboard still functioned, issuing a warning telling all to stay away from Fort Halstead. But, even as he sat there, the computer shorted, its screen turning black save for one message;

_Main systems offline. Date: December 25th, 15:07GMT, 17,993BC_

Stunned, Hudson sat back and looked through the windscreen at the smoke and ash, now mingled with snow. As the distant wailing and crying of the mass on the hill finally reached him, interspersed with Terry's distinct and unsettling screams of pain, his eyes began to water.

It was too much for him; he rested his head onto the steering wheel and burst into tears. He wept for many reasons; for Frank, for Sam, Nigel, Claire, Max and for the future he would never see again. As he cried, it felt like all hope drained away.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Manny sat devastated, holding his daughter, trying as hard as he could to comfort her. Yet even as he held her closely, his reddened eyes were glazed over, simply unable to deal with what had happened. Slowly, through the smoke, snow and ash, he could make out someone coming towards him, and looked hopefully at the outline, hoping they would come saying that there were no more of his herd that were dead. But as Diego came into focus all such hope faded as he saw Claire's body, still balanced on Diego's back, slack in of the undignified postures that only death brought. The sabre drew near, locking eyes with Manny, both of them seeing a deep, grim despair in each other. Manny took a deep breath, still looking at the sabre,

"How many?" He asked, not wanting to know the answer. The sabre shook his head slightly,

"Sam, Nigel, Claire, Frank...probably Max too, and all his sabres," The sabre replied quietly. "How many here?"

Manny paused, reeling into numbness at the harsh reality they found themselves in. His eyes watered once more,

"It's bad here too. Most of the refugees are dead, along with Sid, Crash, Eddie and..." He choked up. "...and..."

Diego's eyes widened in sorrow. He carefully eased Claire's corpse to the ground, and came alongside his friend.

"Manny, I'm so sorry." He said earnestly, placing a paw on Manny's side.

Manny tried to talk, but was overwhelmed.

"I never even got to say goodbye to her," He murmured amongst his attempts not to weep. "I didn't get to say goodbye to any of them." He looked his friend in the eyes, tears streaking down his face. "I miss her already Diego. I miss her so much."

Diego sat there, finding no words to say. In all the despair and pain, he did something he had never done before and reached his paws around Manny as best he could and embraced him, trying his hardest to comfort him. Manny, realising his friend was doing as much as he could unleashed a torrent of sorrow and tears in mourning. As the sabre comforted his friend, he glanced around at hundreds of similar scenes around him, scattered amongst dozens..._hundreds_, he corrected himself...of animals that lay lifeless on the ground. He was overwhelmed, barely able to even comprehend what he was seeing.

"This can't be happening." Diego murmured to himself.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The day darkened into night, and Diego finally parted ways with Manny, carrying Claire over to place her with the rest of their deceased friends. The nearer he drew, the better he could make out a blazing torch beside the line of bodies, with Charlie and Buck standing watch, weapons in their hands. As the sabre passed with his macabre cargo, Charlie straightened out and saluted Claire as she passed by whilst Buck lowered his head. By the glow of the torch, Diego could make out that the human was cut and bruised all over, and there was blood-soaked bandage wrapped around his head, a ghastly wound where once his left eye had been poking out from underneath it. He slowed to a crawl as he passed by the remains of friends he cared for, briefly glancing up at Ben and Mark, who sat in mourning besides Crash, Eddie and Ellie. Ben watched the body go by, his eyes widening in disbelief, growing more and more hysterical.

"Mum? Mum?" His eyes widened as he realised what had happened. "No..._no!_...please mum, wake up!" He whimpered, running over to clasp Claire's outstretched hand, but retracted when he felt her icy skin. Diego winced as he saw the boy's face sink, realising he had lost both his father and mother in the same day. He looked down at the orphan sadly, doing nothing to mask his own sorrow,

"I'm so sorry, kiddo," He whispered. Unsure of what else to say, he continued to walk on, moving past Ellie, who now lay perfectly still, as lifeless as the corpse he carried. Diego grimaced and shut his eyes; even for a sabre, this scale of death was hard to accept.

Distraught, Ben fell to his knees, held tightly by Mark as they watched Diego place Claire beside Ellie, tears flowing freely down their face. After he nudged her hands onto her stomach, Diego remained beside her, head hung low. Even as he stood there, Manny, Hudson and Terry arrived carrying Nigel, Max and Sam, laying them carefully beside the others. Terry stood over his wife, surveying the long line of lost friends with a stony expression, too numbed from the day to be able to show any expressions on his face. Without a word, he paced off into the darkness beyond the torch's light.

"Where are you going?" Manny asked.

Terryfroze, his back to the herd. He turned slightly, but not even enough for his face to be seen.

"I'm gonna get wood," He said gruffly. "I ain't keen on the idea of leaving our loved ones' remains out for vultures..." He turned fully, letting the herd see the tear marks streaked down his face, his eyes still in shadow. "We humans sometimes cremate our dead if we can't bury them properly. It's our way of showin' our last respects."

Manny nodded.

"We're coming with you," He murmured. He glanced beside him at the others, seeing them all nod. "We all are...they're our family too."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

A bitter wind blew smoke and snow in their faces as it carried the mourning of those around them on its icy wake.  
None of the herd moved, nor flinched at the coldness. None cared.

In their minds, they pictured the people beneath the wood - Ellie, Sid, Crash, Eddie, Claire, Nigel, Max and Sam, remembering the laughter, joy, vitality they all had...

Hudson tried to link those happy memories with the corpses before them. He couldn't...he wouldn't.

"Here," Terry murmured, snapping Hudson out of his thoughts. The wolf squinted in the dim light, realising the human held out a book. "Sam asked for someone to read one of these when we did...this," He murmured. "She said she marked out the passage."

Hudson stared at the book absently.

"Why do you want _me_ to read it?" He asked.

"It's a prayer, wolfie," He murmured. "Makes sense for someone who believes it to say it."

Hudson nodded in understanding. He nudged the book onto the floor, pawing his way through the pages until he found one folded in on itself. As he peered at it, he winced inside;

_Sam knew she was going to die, _he noted to himself.

Slightly shaking in shock, weariness and grief, he moved closer to the pyre and made the sign of the cross over his person, straining to read the prayer in the dim light of the torch,

"Almighty God," He said quietly. "Have great mercy to take to yourself the souls of our dear brothers and sisters here departed, and we commit their souls to your safe keeping,"

He paused, taking one more look at the deceased, his eyes watering as he continued. "Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, in sure and certain h-hope," He stuttered, unsure of what hope there even was in their situation. Still, he continued, "Of the Resurrection to eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ," He choked up, trying to stave off tears streaking down his face as he looked upon the wood, "...amen."

"Amen," Terry, Charlie and Ben whispered. Although the animals did not fully understand what was said, they could tell by the humans' response that the words held some meaning. Quietly, they all echoed the last word as well, hanging their heads low. Hudson watched, stunned beyond all feeling, as Terry moved towards the mass of wood that now concealed their deceased loved ones, lighting the edges of the pyre before handing the torch to an animal he previously didn't realise was present. As soon as he registered it, the animal was gone, and they were left in peace. They stepped back as the fire took hold, all of them watching silently as the flames started to spread. All around them, one by one, other fires began to light up the plains.

Silently, Hudson mouthed a prayer for the hundreds - nay, thousands - whose deceased bodies now burned in a seemingly endless landscape of burning pyres.

Unable to take in all the suffering surrounding him, he turned back to their own pyre, and their own miseries.

Their faces were lit up as the fire climbed, consuming the wood and those interred with it. Terry looked up at all who remained, his expression still ashen but the glow of the blaze betraying the streaks of tears down his face. Slowly, he shuffled himself back beside the wolf. To his surprise, the human straightened out, snapped to attention, and saluted the burning pyre, which Hudson and Charlie promptly joined him in.

"It was a good vision, James," Terry murmured quietly, eyes still trained on the fire. Hudson heard no trace of anger in his voice. Terry relaxed, now looking him sorrowfully in the eyes. "But we did our best, and it wasn't good enough...where is that brave new world now, James..."

Hudson's gaze turned upwards, staring at the ashes drifting silently into the sky, mingling with the ashes of the hundreds of other pyres.

_There it is, _He answered mentally.

Without warning, Lieutenant James Hudson of the now never-existent United Nations Temporal Commission broke into sobs.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The herd sat silently, staring broodingly into their hastily made fire. No one felt like sleeping, nor talking, that night. As the embers drifted upwards, dissipating into the harsh darkness, bitter winds blew into them, the snow it brought making inroads into their little patch of warmth.

Manny sat, weeping quietly so as not to wake his daughter who had drifted into sleep despite the trauma of the day. Manny looked down at his little daughter, thinking of all the joyful times he had had with Ellie. But he couldn't avoid the harsh reality; he was mourning the death of yet another mate he had loved with all his heart. He pondered bitterly on the life they could have had, and all the joyful moments that could have been in store. But they had been stolen from him by the cruel vicissitudes of fate, just as his mate had been.

Once more, Manny was a widower.

"How can we go on from this?" Manny mumbled, "We've lost so much..."

Diego looked up forlornly at Manny from his spot beside Sid,

"I don't know," Diego replied. "But we have to. _Somehow._.."

"I'm not sure I can," Ben murmured, staring down at the ground dejectedly. He looked up slightly at his mother's body, quickly returning to gazing at the dirt; the pain was too great. "I just lost my mum, my dad, and a lot of friends, all on the same day."

Manny looked at the boy who sat beside him sympathetically. He had been so consumed by grief at the loss of his mate that he hadn't even realised that Ben had been made an orphan that day too. It hit him hard when he realised that, were Peaches just a little older, she would have been saying the same thing. Instinctively, the mammoth reached out his trunk, pulling Ben into a full blown hug.

"Your parents were good people, Ben," He said softly. "And they died trying to save you," He looked up, staring at the distant fires where the base had once stood, thinking of Frank and the other sabres of their herd, who he knew still lay out there. His heart sank as he remembered the last time they thought they had lost friends back in the Valley, and realised that Ben had already thought he had lost his father _before_.

_Twice._

But the mammoth knew there would be no surprise survivals; this time their friends - their _family_ - truly were dead, and they wouldn't be coming back. Manny hugged Ben tighter to himself, as much to comfort the boy as to be comforted himself.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hudson watched the scene unfolding before him distantly, his mind drifting deep into thought. He racked his brain, poring over the events of the last day, wondering if he had not done something, or if he could have done things differently. But the more he pondered it, the more he deflated; he had failed. He had failed Sam's trust in him, he had failed the herd's hopes, he had failed _everyone_, especially himself. He lay down on the ground, knowing full well that he had seen his, and the herd's, future catastrophically destroyed. He brooded silently, lost in his own thoughts for a long while, till he jerked up in surprise as he felt a hand settle on his shoulder. Looking up, he could see Terry settling down beside him, drawing one last cigarette from an otherwise empty packet.

"It was a good future, and a good hope, boss...while it lasted," He mumbled gently. "Don't be so hard on yourself; you weren't to know that there were bastards out there with other plans."

In the corner of his eye, Hudson could make out Charlie stirring from his own thoughts,

"So what do we do now, sir?" He said to no one in particular.

Terry shrugged,

"We follow through with Frank's plan b, I guess," He murmured. "Find a working computer on one of the trucks, and try find one of the other bases."

Diego shot him a quizzical look - a look of disbelief, Hudson corrected himself - as he listened to the human's discussions,

"We won't survive a _week_." The sabre stated acridly.

"Why not?" Hudson asked.

"It's the middle of winter," Diego explained. "Which means there's no heat, no food, and barely any shelter. And it's not like we're prepared for this. _And _you're forgetting the survivors all around us."

No one spoke for a minute after Diego finished, listening intently to the wind but hearing only silence. Manny sighed, drawing Ben and Peaches closer to himself,

"Diego, I'm not sure there _are _survivors anymore." He murmured. Hudson looked keenly at the mammoth, his muscles tightening as he saw him shivering.

_My God,_ he thought, _If even a mammoth is shivering with a fire, then what about all those animals..._

He cut his thought off, unwillingly to follow it to its conclusion. He shivered, but not from the cold.

Charlie, as if sensing the same thing, let out a bitter, weary sigh,

"What a godawful mess..." He remarked. "If only we could go back and put a bullet in the heads of the bastards that caused this."

_Go back..._

The thought surged through Hudson like wildfire. Memories flooded back to the surface, bringing with them feelings the wolf never thought he would feel again; he felt _hope._

"Go back!" He repeated eagerly, jumping to his feet. "Of course! We can go back!"

Buck shot the wolf a wary look,

"I don't know wots gotten into ya, mate, but we 'ave no way of going back." He said firmly.

"Yes, there is!" Hudson replied eagerly. He turned to Terry, who was so surprised by the wolf's response he hadn't even taken a drag from his lit cigarette. "Don't you remember Terry?" He said frantically. "What we found in the trucks when we were trying to repair the machine?"

Terry's jaw hung slack in realisation, his cigarette falling cleanly from his mouth. Slowly, but surely, the human began to smile,

"Wolfie's right," He said. "There _is_ a way we can go back!"

Manny shot them both a disgusted, angry look,

"Are you two out of your minds?" He hissed. "The base is destroyed, along with the time machine. There _is no _way back!"

"But that one wasn't the only time machine on the base," Terry replied. "There were others."

Buck lifted his head, staring at the wolf with interest,

"What others?" He asked.

Hudson smiled slightly, now pacing back and forth,

"The short range devices we found," He stated. "They only had a power output large enough for short range trips, a year at best."

"Which was useless to us then, but godammit its useful now!" Terry added.

Buck's sat up, saw the scheming, hopeful look on their faces, and glanced at Manny, hoping he'd know what they're on about. The mammoth looked back and merely shrugged, clearly as nonplussed as he was.

"And wot exactly are you two planning then?" Buck asked cautiously as he turned towards them again.

Hudson paused for a moment, realising their error in raising hopes before they knew if one such device had even survived. He glanced at Terry first before looking up at the weasel waiting impatiently for an answer.

"Before we share the plan, I think it best to see if it's even possible first," Hudson replied. "Which means we are going to have to go back to one of the trucks."

Manny sat up, flickering his gaze between his sleeping daughter and the wolf.

"Can't that wait till morning?" He said ambivalently.

Diego gawped in surprise at his friend,

"You're seriously suggesting we _don't _try and save our friends, just so Peaches can get a little more shut eye?" He quizzed.

Manny looked like he was going to argue, but refrained from doing so. Instead, he sighed deeply as he nudged his daughter back into consciousness.

"Come on Peaches," He muttered. "We're going for a walk."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

As the outline of a truck came within sight, Terry paused. Memories of dragging Sam out of the same truck just hours before floated to the surface, the images as real and painful for him at that moment as it was then. The dim light of the burning torch did nothing to alleviate his gloom as it cast eerie shadows over the twisted metal and glass, almost as if to accentuate the fact that someone had died there.

"This was mine and Sam's truck," He said quietly to no one in particular.

He watched Hudson scrabbled into the wreckage, finding himself reliving the past in his mind. He felt warm fuzz ensconce his shoulder, knowing then that Manny stood beside him.

"I miss her too." The mammoth said.

Before Terry could say anything, Hudson shouted gleefully from inside the wreckage,

"I've found it!" He said. "I've found it!"

He scrambled out of the truck, carrying a cylindrical device under his arm. Diego's eyes widened, recognising it instantly.

"I've seen one of them before," He remarked. "The attackers used one yesterday, after they switched on the machine. So _that_'s how they got away..."

Hudson didn't reply, but started tapping wildly onto the keypad that lay on it's side. The device whirred into life, lights flickering on across it, and the keypad and its screen lighting up.

"It works!" Hudson exclaimed joyfully. "We can go back!"

Even in the dim light, Terry could make out Buck's smile,

"Fantastic!" The weasel said. "But wot's yer plan?"

"Yeah, what is it you're actually planning on doing?" Manny asked.

"_We_," Terry corrected him. "We go back eight months and make the base ready for Soto's attack."

"And ensure that _a_ herd survives this catastrophe," Hudson added. "Even if it won't bring ours back."

Manny looked at Hudson in surprise; he suspected that they would suggest saving _their_ herd, not save a separate one.

"What!" Was all he could muster.

Terry slumped slightly, looking briefly to the ground. "He's right; it won't bring our herd back. Even if we were successful, it would mean the _whole_ of their herd survives, us lot included," He trailed off briefly, his expression saddening. "_My_ Sam is dead, and I can't change that...but I'm sure as hell gonna try and make sure at least _a_ Sam, and _her_ herd, gets through this alive."

Ben looked up in shock,

"But...but won't altering the timeline be risky?"

Diego nodded in agreement,

"As much as I hate this situation, Ben does have a point; what if we only change it for the worse?" He quizzed. "What if our actions means that _everyone_ dies, instead of only most of us?"

Terry pointed at Hudson,

"Gorramit! Does no one here even remember James' story!" He said in exasperation. "Or even what happened this morning! He comes from a future where this _doesn't _happen! Don't you see! The timeline HAS ALREADY BEEN ALTERED!" His voice rose, growing louder and more forceful with every word. "Wolfie is proof that this ain't ever meant to happen godammit!"

Manny looked away, completely uncertain. He longed to see all he saw set right, but it likewise seemed risky to him; the very idea they even had the means of changing time at their disposal left his mind reeling.

And even if they were successful, he would still be a widower.

"I don't know..." Manny admitted.

Terry turned to him, placing a firm hand on his tusk. As his hand sat there, the mammoth couldn't help but look at him. To his surprise, all the forcefulness and firmness was gone, replaced with earnestness.

"Wouldn't you do anything to see Ellie alive again?" Terry asked. He looked at all the herd in turn. "Wouldn't you do anything to ensure that Sid, Eddie, Crash, Claire..._even_ _Frank_...were alive?" The light from the torch now glinted from his face, giving Manny a look of the fierce intensity that lay in his eyes. "Cos I would happily risk everything going to Hell _again_, if it meant there's a chance that Sam might still be alive. Even if I can't be with her again," Terry glanced at the herd one more time,

"So who's with me?" He asked.

Silence descended upon the herd for a moment. After a while, Buck stood up tall, placed his knife on his back, and smiled.

"Count me in, mate." He said firmly. Ben and Mark shared a glance and nodded,

"Us too." Mark said quietly.

"I'm in," Diego stated as Charlie nodded his assent.

Hudson smirked,

"Do you even need to ask me?" He said.

Terry smiled, turning back to Manny.

"You in, boss?" He asked once more.

The mammoth paused. He thought of Ellie, and the pain it would cause him knowing that, though she would live if Terry's plan worked, she would also have a Manny, and he would _still_ be alone.

_Wouldn't you do anything to see Ellie alive again?_

Terry's question rattled through his mind, and his love for Ellie won out. Even if he were to never be with her again, he longed to know she still lived. He glanced down at his daughter, standing beside him. He knew, in his heart of hearts, that he had to ensure at least _one_ Peaches still had her mother. He smiled slightly, his mind settled.

"Ok," He said. "Let's do this."

Terry chuckled,

"That's the spirit, boss! Right, let's get to the base!"

Manny did a double take, staring anxiously at the still smouldering ruins that loomed in the distance,

"What!" He exclaimed. "Wouldn't it be safer to just do it here?"

Hudson nodded,

"Probably," He admitted. "But then we have the slight issue of a gate locked from the _inside _to deal with; unless you happen to have some hidden skill with computerised locks hidden in that well padded body of yours," The wolf quickly scanned him. "...which seems unlikely, but you never know...then we'd wind up spending the next eight months locked outside, just in time to get blown to bits ourselves."

Manny gritted his teeth, staring wearily at the wolf,

"Do you _want _me to sit on you and crush you?" He growled.

"My apologies, Your Largeness," Hudson shot back sarcastically, before making an over-exaggerated bow, his free paw gesturing towards the base "Shall we, chaps?"

Manny glared at the wolf, begrudgingly following his suggestion. And as the darkness of night began to show faint glimmers of dawn approaching, the herd started making their way towards the burning ruins.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Up close, the base was barely recognisable. Where once imposing walls stood only rubble remained. Buck looked up at the command centre in shock; he remembered a massive structure, sprawling across the rock face onto which it was built. As he stared at the mass of hollowed out holes which were once rooms, pockmarked by the occasional fire, he could barely register a connection between the two images, so utterly different from each other they seemed. But none of that prepared him for what lay on the ground.

"Bloody 'ell!" He exclaimed. Manny scanned the scene in shock,

"You can say that again." He mumbled, quickly putting his trunk over his daughter's eyes.

The charred remains of hundreds of animals were scattered across the ground, as far as the eye could see. Buck slowly walked over to one of the bodies, looking down at it thoughtfully,

"I wonder wot they were really like," He said to himself. He looked over at the herd, who were evidently intrigued by he comment. "You know, whether they were really evil. Or whether they were as much the victims of this mess as we were..."

Buck saw the herd look around, suddenly asking that question themselves. The weasel looked back down at the corpse with somewhat sympathetic eyes; Hudson had said plainly that the events they had experienced were never meant to happen, and the weasel concluded that it meant the animals he saw were not meant to die either. He looked around, idly wondering what threats or promises Soto had made to them, when he saw something that startled him. He stared intently at a pile of rocks that sat beside the remains of the wall, looking at the rifle end that stuck out from underneath it. Less than a metre away from the rubble lay a charred corpse with a sword - contorted and melted from the heat, but still recognisable - pierced straight through it.

His stood still, suddenly aware of what...of _who..._he was looking at.

"Frank," He whispered. He turned back to the herd as he made his way towards it, arms flinging wildly. "I've found Frank! Help me!"

The whole herd swerved around, looking grimly at the rubble they had just walked by. Immediately, they all started to claw, pull and smash their way through the rocks, unveiling their deceased friend as they did so. Whilst they did so quickly, there was no panic or urgency to it; they knew he was dead. It wasn't long before they could see his body in full; charred and burnt horribly, but mostly intact. Frank's eyes - or rather, eye sockets - stared upwards in a look of seeming defiance, his mouth wide open as if shouting. Ben remained with Manny, plunging his face into the mammoths fur and cried. Terry came alongside the weasel, kneeling beside the corpse. With a sense of finality, he closed his eyelids for the last time. Terry remained kneeling, looking sadly at what remained of Frank. After a few moments, Terry squinted, looking keenly at what remained of Frank's jacket.

"Well I'll be damned!" He exclaimed. Before Buck could ask, the human leant forward, slipping his hand into Frank's inner jacket pocket, pulling out what Buck assumed to be some kind of leaf, charred badly around the edges.

"Wot is it?" The weasel enquired.

Terry held it carefully open in both hands, staring at it in surprise.

"It's a letter, boss," He said tentatively. "Though how it survived that blast is beyond me."

"A letter?" Buck repeated. He glanced at Frank, wondering what was so important that the human would leave a letter. He turned back to the human, full of curiosity. "Wot does it say?"

He and the herd waited as Terry scanned the letter, noting how the human's shoulders slumped as he did so.

"Goddamn it, Frank..." Terry whispered, the weasel seeing tears well up in the human's eyes.

"The letter reads," Terry mustered. "'_Sam once told me that the wages of sin is death. If you are reading this, then I have paid it in full for the crimes I committed on the bank of the Thames, long ago. Take care of Claire and Ben, tell them I have loved them till my dying breath, find a working time machine, and get them home. Goodbye and farewell, Frank David Howard.'"_

No one spoke for minutes as the words reverberated around the ruined base and their minds.

"So long, Frank," Terry murmured. "You did us proud. Don't worry; I'll take care of them from here. Goodbye...my friend."

Buck looked up at the human, smiling slightly; he had always suspected that Terry harboured a grudging liking of Frank. As he thought about it, his smile saddened slightly,

"Ya know, I think 'e would 'ave wanted to 'ear that whilst still living, Terry." Buck said quietly.

Terry sighed, looking down in thought,

"Yeah, I know," He replied mutedly. "But sometimes it takes a harsh lesson to realise how you feel."

Terry stood up, carefully picking up Frank's rifle as he did so, all the while still looking down at the deceased man. He walked over to Ben, placing his father's rifle in his hands,

"Something to remember him by," Terry said softly, placing a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. "He died well, Ben. He died a hero."

Tears still in his eyes, Ben held the rifle for a moment, simply staring at it. After a moment, he wiped his eyes, slinging the rifle over his back in the same way he had seen his father do a hundred times before. He looked up at Terry, smiling through his tears.

"Thank you," Ben said sincerely. "Now let's go save him."

Terry glanced at Hudson, giving him a nod,

"Key it in, James." He said firmly.

Buck rushed back towards the herd, making sure he wasn't left behind. He watched as Hudson typed commands into the device, bringing to mind a question.

"When exactly are we going?" Buck asked. "You never did te..."

But before he could finish his sentence, he was gone. A flash of blinding light filled the area for a moment, before disappearing. The base, and all the deceased scattered around it, were bathed in silence once more.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Eight months earlier**

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank looked over wearily at the countdown, letting out a heavy sigh as he did so,

"Twenty seconds left." He muttered.

The herd huddled together, all of them genuinely worried. Manny held his family tightly, closing his eyes as he did so. Diego shared one last glance at Buck, Terry and Frank. In all honesty, he wasn't sure if it's meaning was 'see you on the other side' or 'goodbye'.

"Ten seconds!" Frank shouted over the noise of the machine whirring and whining into life. "Get ready!"

Moments later, flash of bright light filled the hangar. Within an instant it disappeared, revealing an empty hangar. The base, suddenly abandoned, fell silent.

Less than ten minutes later the base's silence was disrupted as distant echoes could be heard, slowly but surely, on the wind;

_When exactly are we going? You never did te..._

In a flash of light, the battered remnants of the herd reappeared, with Buck still in mid sentence,

"...ell us when we were going..." He finished, staring up at the command centre in awe. "Blimey, that rebuilt quick!"

"To eight months in the past, to be precise," Hudson stated matter of factly. "In fact, I believe our erstwhile selves have literally just found themselves eight months in the future, so you could say we just traded places."

Manny looked around in disbelief. He had just moments before seen the place as a ruin, yet here it stood as if nothing had happened.

_Nothing _has_ happened yet, Manfred,_ he chided himself.

"So, what do we do now?" He asked.

Terry smirked,

"Now, we spend the next eight months getting this base, ourselves and the refugees that'll come, ready for war."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**8 months later** _(A/N: To avoid confusion, i will use long version of the herd's names to refer to the herd that had been preparing at the base for 8 months, and the recent arrivals will be given the shorter names. In the case of Hudson the recently arrived one will be James, the one waiting for 8 months will be Hudson. 'Diego' will refer to the newly arrived one, 'their Diego'/'the other Diego'/words to that effect will refer to the 8 month-waiting one)_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Manfred shuffled impatiently, willing time to move faster. Behind him he could hear the busyness and activity of the refugees-turned-militia, preparing for the impending battle. Manfred's eyes cast backwards, staring longingly out through the open hangar bay doors to the courtyard beyond.

He had been preparing for eight months, and now the day had arrived...and he spent most of it waiting.

He snapped back, almost glaring at Terrence, who exuded the exact opposite of his impatient energy; the human seemed calm, composed, in control.

Yet even the mammoth could see in Terrence's eyes that he would rather be elsewhere too.

"How long left?" Manfred pressed.

The human glanced casually at his watch, let out an aggravated sigh, and reached for his radio.

"Hudson," He murmured into it. "Any sign that our guests are arrivin' yet?"

_"Terry, the base's sensors are picking up...something," _The wolf's voice replied. _"I'm willing to bet it's them."_

"Finally," Terrence grumbled. "Thanks wolfie."

_"Give them my regards."_

"Sure thing. Terry over and out."

Manfred let out an aggravated sigh, casting his eyes across the hanger for the hundredth time, noting the tattered flags, snow covered trucks and the mass of metal and wires that was the time machine with the bored feeling that came with familiarity.

He opened his mouth, wanting to complain even more - just to pass the time - when he heard it;

_Ten seconds left..._

_Get ready!_

The whispers travelled as if on some unseen wind, bringing a smile to both of their faces.

Suddenly, the hangar was filled by a brief, blinding flash of light. As he blinked away the retinal echoes, the mammoth saw the herd, seemingly magically appearing in an instant.

Almost instantly, his eyes turned to all those who he - who all of _his _herd - had lost: to Frank, Claire, Sid, the possums, Sam, Max and his sabres and...

"Ellie." He whispered.

Joy surged up in him with elation as he looked over the familiar fur, shape, eyes, tusks...the sheer excitement of seeing her alive...

_She's not your Ellie. _His mind reminded him.

The thought tempered his joy with pain, remembering the unalterable truth of his situation.

He looked upon his mate, knowing she was no longer _his _mate, and smiled weakly.

"Is everyone ok?" Their Manny shouted, wildly counting their herd, as if expecting someone to be left behind.

"We're all still here boss," Their Terry replied. "Whenever here is..."

Terry suddenly became aware of himself and Terrence, standing quietly just a dozen paces away from them.

"What the?" the human grunted.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank snapped his head around, unslinging his rifle as he swerved around, ready to shoot whatever it was that Terry was looking at. He knew they ran the risk of dying, and he wasn't prepared to take any chances.

As the two figures came into view, he froze. For a moment, he was too bewildered to even make the link, merely noting the fact that a human and a mammoth stood waiting for them.

The human smiled slightly, his eyes flickering across the herd, but intermittently flicking back to Sam. Slowly, he gave Frank a friendly - if slightly pained - smile,

"Hey boss," The human said. "Long time no see."

Frank blinked, momentarily forgetting the need to respond. He glanced over at Manny with a questioning look. The mammoth merely shrugged.

"T-terry?" Frank finally mustered.

Terrence snorted,

"Well who else could it be?" He retorted, still smiling. "I ain't exactly santa."

"But...but..._how?"_ Manny piped up, staring at his other self with a look bordering on disbelief.

Manfred - bearing scars that didn't exist on Manny, Frank noted - chuckled quietly.

"That's a little bit of a long story," Manfred stated. "All you need to know is that we're two of the eight of this herd that survived the _first _time we came to this time. We travelled back to make sure you guys didn't go through the same...fate."

"The _first _time?" Frank quizzed.

"Yeah, the first time, boss," Terrence replied. "As in the first time we got jumped forward eight months... and failed. Made use of one of them short range time machines in the trucks, went _back_ eight months, and got everything ready for when _you guys _showed up."

The words sent a chill down Frank's spine. He could see three straight scars across the other Terry's face, along with myriads of other scars now suddenly visible on both of them. He opened his mouth, wanting to ask who survived..._no, _he thought, _I don't want to know. _

He didn't want to they had lost, unwilling to ponder the thought of having to bury any of his herd. He swallowed, only just beginning to realise how much the two before him must have suffered.

"I take it our...ah, your...first time didn't go well?" Manny ask his counterpart tentatively.

Terrence chuckled mirthlessly,

"You could say that," He remarked. "Lost over half our herd to Soto's army...and the explosion," He shot a brief, angry glare at Frank that rapidly cooled, almost as if the human reminded himself of something. "Thanks for that, by the way, boss."

"Explosion?" Frank exclaimed.

"SOTO!" Diego and Manny gasped.

Manfred lifted his trunk in a silencing motion,

"We don't have time to stand here," He said bluntly. "We need to get ready."

"Ready for what?" Manny quizzed.

Manfred chuckled, glancing behind him at the hangar bay doors,

"Ready to make that cat regret he ever was born."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

End of Chapter 31

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**'DID HE JUST KILL THE HERD!'**

**Yes. Yes I did. And now there's one and a half herds for your delectation :P**

**I am genuinely, genuinely hoping the last segment made some sense and, if it didn't in the story, I shall explain it here;**

**The herd that fight and died fighting Soto made use of a short range time machine, one of the ones referenced in Minutes to Midnight and The Wages of Sin, to travel back in time to the point where the herd were shunted forward. They then waited, healed up, grieved and began making preparations for Soto's imminent arrival.**

**'DOES THIS MEAN ANOTHER BATTLE CHAPTER IS COMING UP!'**

**Yes. Yes it does :P**

**As always, please review! Thanks for reading!**

**Till Chapter 32 **


	32. Once More Unto the Breach

**Hello everyone!**

Firstly thank you so much for the kind reviews! They mean a lot to me :)

And secondly, I'm sorry :**P  
Unless you somehow managed to get to this chapter without reading the end of the last one, you will know that this chapter is set…well, in the battle. Again.  
I've tried to make it as different as possible, and I genuinely hope I've succeeded!**

As always, please read and review!

Without further ado…

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Manny blinked, both from surprise and emerging out of a darker hangar into the bright of day. All around thousands of animals were busy with various tasks, only a few of them stopping to stare at the newcomers. The mammoth saw no trace of panic or confusion; everything was calm, efficient, prepared.

Manny's utter confusion at their new circumstances made up for their lack of it.

"What do you think?" His counterpart - the other Manny - asked him, obviously seeing his bewilderment.

"It's -er- impressive," He meekly replied, his eyes still flickering around the base. His counterpart chuckled,

"Since we're surrounded by human technology, it made sense for us to use it. Terry, Charlie and Hudson taught the rest of us how to use it all," He explained. "And, not to pat myself on the back or anything, but we got the hang of using guns, computers and everything else way before they started arriving, all panicked and fearful of what Soto was doing down south."

Seemingly from nowhere, Mark appeared beside Manny, looking keenly up at Manfred.

"You mean I...I mean, er, your Mark...got taught how to use the human weapons?"

Terrence, still leading them from the front, turned just enough for Manny to see the three scars across his face, the trio of lines crumpling slightly as the man smiled,

"He sure did, kiddo," The human replied. "Quite a natural too! Once this is over with, you should get your Terry to train you up."

"Speaking of getting this over with," James piped up, suddenly alerting Manny to his presence beside him. "What exactly is the plan today?"

Terrence and Manfred shared a glance, one fraught with a meaning Manny couldn't determine. With a seeming understanding, even without verbal communication, Terrence reached into his pocket, pulling out his radio,

"Terry to the scouting party," He murmured into it. "Buck, how are you doing?"

_"We've managed to pop off a few, but I think they've spotted us. we can't 'old this point foreva!"_

Once more Terrence and Manfred shared a glance, but this one Manny knew well; _we don't have the time._

"Understood," Terrence stated. "Buck, fall back - we're gonna let 'em come."

_"Roger that, Terry! We're 'eading back now. Buck out."_

The herd waited patiently, hoping to have some explanation as to what was going on. Manfred scanned the group, his eyes falling back on Manny,

"I'm sorry," He finally said. "If we could have kept Soto away for a little longer, we could have explained the plan...but we can't."

"Then just tell us our part in this plan," Diego's voice resonated from behind Manny. "So we can at least do something!"

Terrence smiled. It struck Manny that both of the males before him exuded nothing but confidence; if there was any fault in their plan, clearly they didn't know of it.

"Now _that_ we can explain quickly!" He said. "You're gonna be on the front line with the rest of us, giving the son of a bitch a beating he ain't gonna forget quickly...with the exception of Ellie, Claire, Ben and Peaches - sorry guys, but that part is non-negotiable." He quickly added, giving them a stare that would brook no argument.

Manny could see Ellie's expression darken slightly. He knew his mate disliked being protected in such a manner, _especially _when done without her permission; she wanted to be where the action was, doing her part to protect her herd...

They shared a gaze for a moment, both of them knowing the futility - and possible danger - of arguing the point at such a moment, with people who were as stubborn as themselves...

_Who _were _themselves, _Manny quickly corrected.

After a seemingly eternal moment, she let out a huff,

"Fine," She grumbled. "You all go off and play heroes; I'll be back here."

Terrence briefly glanced at his watch as Ellie stormed off, Peaches, Ben and Claire trailing slightly behind her. A grin erupted on the human's face, very quickly occluded by his radio,

"This is Terry to all hands," He said. "The time's come. Keep in mind all of our practice runs, and you guys will be fine. Remember, do not attack unless you hear Manny tell you to. Now get to your battle stations!"

The base's activity totally transformed; within mere minutes the seemingly benign mass of animals before had suddenly become armed, all of them charging to a myriad points. Manny was snapped out of his reverie by a gentle punch. He snapped back around, seeing his counterpart directly in front of him.

"We don't have the time for sight-seeing!" He stated. "Come on!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank stood beside the gate, flanked by Manfred to his right and Manny to his left, utterly bewildered by his newfound circumstances. He glanced over at Manny, seeing the same look of confusion in his eyes as he knew he had in his own. Manfred, on the other hand, exuded nothing but calm. As he scanned the rest of the other herd, he saw exactly the same look; grim, determined, but confident. He quickly concluded that, whatever the other herd had been through, they were much more prepared for what they were about to face.

As he tucked his rifle into the crook of his arm, he couldn't help but ponder about the other herd; not so much those who were present, but those who _weren't._ He knew from the brief explanations they gave that those not present were dead, and that they had returned to save _their _herd from the same fate, even though they couldn't bring their own back...

As he noted the absence of Nigel, Sam, Ellie, Sid, Crash, Eddie, Claire and himself, a chill went up his spine as his heart tugged in sympathy: the other herd had lost so many. Their Peaches had no mother...their Ben was an orphan...and even if they were successful, their herd would never be whole again...

That last thought left him very cold.

He was snapped out of his reverie as Manfred curled his trunk inwards, switching on his radio,

"Manny to the scouting party, what do you see?"

_"'undreds...no, thousands of animals," _Buck's voice replied. _"Sabres, mammoths, bears, 'yenas, vultures and even a few rhinos. Pretty much exactly like we rememba'd."_

Manfred nodded, his eyes briefly glazing over.

It suddenly occurred to Frank that the mammoth had faced this before. Once more he tried imagining facing off _thousands _of angry, ravenous animals with nothing but their little herd of two dozen animals and humans...

He actively shivered, but not from the cold winds, even as they blew fiercely down the Pass.

"Besides that, are you ready Buck?" Manfred quizzed into his radio.

_"Sure am, mate!" _Buck's voice replied eagerly. "_All the charges 'ave been set. Jus' waiting fer the signal!"_

Manfred suddenly turned to him and Manny, smiling slightly,

"Soto won't be expecting any of this," He said quietly. "As far as he knows there are only refugees and our little herd here."

Frank glanced upwards, seeing rows of animals - some armed with rifles, to his amazement, whilst others were armed with rocks - waiting on the tops of the cliffs that made up Glacier Pass. He knew that the base's walls beside him were likewise crammed full of armed animals, with the two respective herds forming a wall of humans and animals between the encroaching army and the base - which was also teeming with at least a thousand animals who could fight if it came to it.

Even as he saw and noted all the raw firepower their side suddenly had, it worried him that they - meaning _his _herd - hadn't been informed of what the plan of action actually _was_. He let out a small chuckle at the situation: a battle utilising human technology and human weapons, and he was going to have to take orders from a mammoth.

To his surprise, he was ok with the latter.

"So, what do you need us to do in all this?" Frank asked. Judging by the interested glances from his herd, the human reckoned he was asking on behalf of all of them.

"Hold until the order is given to fire," Manfred stated. "And then give them hell."

Frank nodded in acknowledgement, training his eyes forward. He sensed rather than saw Manny lean into him, aiming for his ear.

"That other me seems to sound a lot like Terry." He whispered.

The human chuckled under his breath,

"Now now, let's not _insult_ the mammoth!" He replied as inconspicuously as he could muster. "He, for one, seems to be doing a good job of actually _commanding_-"

"Boss, you either shut your trap or there's gonna be some friendly fire in this melee!" Terry growled from a distance.

"Quiet!" Manfred snapped, silencing any argument from the humans.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

And so Manny waited, at the behest of his other self, for the oncoming attack. Faintly, but surely, the ground began to rumble to the sound of thousands of feet marching towards them. The silence suddenly felt deafening; even the refugees huddled up in the base behind them were quiet as the distant rumble turned into a very real shaking. He suddenly realised that the mass of armed animals, so visible just seconds before, seemingly melted away behind the stones and base walls, creating an almost perfect illusion that only the two herds were present in the pass.

_"Four hundred yards!" _Every radio suddenly spluttered, giving the voice a seemingly ubiquitous quality.

Manfred grinned, as if he was waiting for the enigmatic message.

"FOUR HUNDRED!" He yelled, his voice echoing off of the cliffs.

Manny shuffled in bewilderment at his counterpart's command.

"What is that supposed-" He began to say, but suddenly cut himself off.

Things happened so quickly he could barely tell what was going on. The ground quaked violently, nearly toppling him off of his feet. With all the haste he could muster, he regained his composure in time to see the plains beyond the lip of the Pass seemingly explode into fire and flame. He stared slack jawed as dozens - or even _hundreds_, he couldn't tell from the distance - of animals launched into the air on the back of burning debris, all of them spinning in a violent dance of death. Smoke and ash blew in every direction, obscuring his vision and sending him into a coughing fit. Even without the ability to see - or, for the moment, breathe - he could hear new sounds from the approaching army, sounds he never expected to hear from sabres, grizzly bears, mammoths and every other massive creature under the sky;

Panic.

The dust had settled enough for Manny to see that Diego - not his Diego, but theirs - stood proudly ahead of their little line of defence, his chest fully flared.

"SOTO!" Diego yelled.

Within mere moments, the entire Pass returned to its deathly silence.

"SOTO!" Diego roared once more.

"Diego! Traitorous dog!" A voice yelled back. "You will pay for you insol-"

"Shut it, Soto!" Diego interrupted. "We have you surrounded; you have nowhere to run. Surrender now and we will treat you fairly."

"I would rather die than surrender to you!" Soto screeched back.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Frank move forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with the sabre.

"People of Soto's army!" Frank suddenly shouted, catching everyone off guard. Manny could see the other herd - or at least, those of the other herd he could see - glaring at Frank to shut up, but the human carried on. "You owe nothing to this sabre, nor he to you. If you run now, we will not stop you, and we will not hunt you down. If you stay, you will die. Choose wisely."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Manfred couldn't help but smile, no longer wishing Frank to be silent. Aware that he was smiling, he quickly removed it from his face lest he give off the wrong impression. His face now contorted into a scowl, he curled his trunk towards him to whisper into his radio,

"Hold fire, just one minute," He stated. "Let's see what happens."

Sure enough, some of the animals - including, much to Manfred's relief, many of the rhinos and mammoths - turned their tails and fled. Within no time it bore all the appearances of a fully-fledged rout.

_Maybe we don't have to fight after all, _he thought, allowing himself a little relief.

As if in response to his thoughts, a roar - cold and fierce - permeated the air, stopping some of the fleeing army in their tracks.

"COWARDS! STAY AND YOU CAN EAT WHAT YOU KILL! ALL TROOPS, ATTACK!"

Not all the army turned and charged - only half, Manfred guessed - but it was enough; they _would _be fighting after all. Confusion briefly rippled through him as he saw some animals turn to fight that he didn't expect to...at least, not at the promise of meet.

"I thought mammoths were vegetarians!" His other self shouted in bewilderment.

Manfred grunted,

"Guess there's not enough plant life to go around anymore." He replied.

The conversation cut itself off as they found themselves faced with an army rapidly filling the Pass, charging straight for him. He quickly glanced at the cliff walls and gulped.

_Here we go again, _He thought.

"OPEN FIRE!" He yelled into the radio.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Before Frank could even unsling his rifle, a hail of bullets and rocks flew towards the army before them, riddling countless animals with such ferocity that he even saw some fly backwards a little at the impact. His rifle was finally in his hands, and he set about pummelling any of Soto's army he could. The roar from countless rifles - on the ridges and the base walls - didn't come close to matching the screams of death that now erupted from flailing sabres, dismembered hyenas, dying rhinos...

And yet, even as they fell, the army still advanced.

The human glanced beside him, seeing that his herd had moved up to where he was, all of them seemingly chomping at the bit to fight. In the brief moment before the battle proper ensued, he glanced down at his rifle, decided it would be useless in such impending close quarter fighting, and dropped it, drawing his sword out of its scabbard.

Somehow, over the roaring of their troops opening fire and the screams of death from the army before them, Manfred's voice carried on the air clearly,

"CHARGE!"

Frank shared one last glance with Manny and Diego, all the rest of the herd sharing the same look.

_Here goes nothing._

He thrust his sword into the air, took a deep breath, and let out a roar filled with fury. Max, with all of his sabres, sped past him. Both Manny and Manfred's charging rumbled the ground beneath him as he broke out into a full on sprint, eyes darting around for a target. With a speed only years of combat could bring, he spotted a grizzly bear, marked out its weak spots and aimed his sword accordingly within the space of a few breaths.

The bear hardly registered his approach when the sword plunged into the soft fur of its stomach. The beast let out a pained howl as it was thrust in further and further.

Damage done, Frank yanked the blade out, swinging and swerving to avoid several sharp claws flying his way. As he spun out of the way of the offending claws - and slicing off the paw they were on in the process - Frank got a blurred view of the rest of the rapidly escalating battle:

He could make out Diego ripping and tearing his way through the fray - Hudson, Mark and the other sabres doing similarly, but none with the sheer _ferocity_ Diego then exhibited - whilst Manny used his tusks as battering rams, smashing all enemies in reach into the rock face of the cliffs with grim determination. Sam, Terry, Charlie and even _Nigel_ were firing their rifles like there was no tomorrow - Terry even managing to throw his knife into a hyena before it leapt on Manny's back during the brief second Frank was looking in his direction. In the distance, he could see Buck leaping from head to head as if they were stepping stones, brandishing his pistol and knife in a way oddly reminiscent of a pirate. Only the sheer rush of adrenaline - and the heightened sense of awareness that always came to him in battle - enabled Frank to pick up so much information in the space of a few seconds.

Finishing his desperate roll of survival - and his very brief reconnoitre - Frank clambered to his feet and rushed a sabre, his sword already drenched and dripping crimson. As he finished the sabre off, he sensed rather than saw Diego beside him. Both of their gazes fell upon a nearby rhino facing off against Manny. They glanced at each other, shared a brief nod and charged the beast, roaring as they did so.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The bullets still slammed home, crumpling swathes of attackers, as they flew from above, behind and within the battle's midst. Rocks, some as large as Diego's leg, tumbled from on high, crushing unsuspecting animals with a sudden thud and squelch, the noise of which vanished into the overpowering din around it. The battle for Glacier Pass had kicked into full swing, but no one could tell who was winning; Soto's army, for all the beating it was taking, was seemingly endless. As the fighting continued, some of Max's pack were overwhelmed and killed. Vultures pelted the base's defenders who stood on the cliffs. The bullets, till then aimed solely at the army in the pass, flew every direction, firing so wildly that only some hit their intended targets.

The herd, still viciously forcing the enemy back, ducked and dodged dead vultures dropping from the sky.

And _still_ the army they faced didn't seem to diminish.

But then, just as both herds began to fear the best they could achieve was a stalemate, the entire atmosphere of the battlefield changed. Soto's army, till then obstinate in their desire to succeed, slowly started to lose its will to fight. Somewhere in the midst of the fighting a sabre cried out frantically, his voice utterly drowned out by the noise of battle. At first it was the smaller animals - hyenas mainly - that turned and fled, but soon after the few surviving mammoths retreated, followed by the rhinos, bears, vultures...followed, eventually, by the sabres.

Every species, once proud and mighty, fled.

Before any of the respective herds could figure out what was going on, the army broke into a panicked sprint, running as fast as they could from the almost certain death that the Pass' defenders had rained upon them.

Frank stood motionlessly, watching the remains of the army shrink into the distance. Behind him, he heard cheers erupt - distantly at first, but growing nearer - as the reality sunk in.

"WE'VE DONE IT!" Manfred trumpeted with joy. "WE'VE DONE IT!"

The whole pass filled with shouts of exultation, all of the animals present fully aware they had faced some of the deadliest animals known in the region...known in the _world_...and _won._

Frank was too stunned, too overcome, to immediately join in. His body had begun to ache as the adrenaline flushed out of his body, the pains of hundreds of scratches, cuts and bruises immediately vying for his attention. He thrust his sword into the ground, leaning on it as a support.

"We made it."

He snapped around to find Diego standing beside him, smiling broadly. Without the heat of battle to distract him, Frank finally saw just how ragged the sabre looked; his fur was matted with blood in countless places - some of which he suspected was the sabres' own - whilst dirt and sweat covered him.

_You probably don't look much better yourself, _his mind noted.

After a few moments, Diego turned his attention from the distant horizon to him, his smile deepening in its warmth. Frank grinned, the process alerting him to the absence of one of his teeth, but he didn't care. He clasped the sabre's shoulder, giving it a strong squeeze.

"We've made it," He agreed. He broke into laughter as the truth sunk in. "We're alive!"

He couldn't help himself; the joy of still living after everything had suggested they would die made him want to shout for joy. He stretched out fully, took in as deep a breath as he could, and let out the loudest cry he had ever given.

"WE'RE ALIVE!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Diego weaved his way slowly back through the pass, scanning for any patches of open ground amongst the bodies that now lay strewn across it. More often than not he failed, having to place his paws on lifeless fur just to get through. A short way behind him, he could hear the same tentative motions and footsteps from Frank.

He took a few more steps forward as he heard the human trip and fall, the sound accompanying it was far too..._squelchy..._for the human to have fallen on solid ground.

"Jesus Christ!" He heard Frank exclaim from behind him. "What a mess!"

Diego turned to watch the human's frantic - and downright amusing - attempts to scramble back to his feet, his clothes seemingly dyed red. He suppressed the urge to laugh, granting the human a mere shrug,

"Good thing we have a few thousand people here to help us clean it up," He said nonchalantly, even as his lips curled into a smile. "Now, if you're done with getting a _very _up close look of the defeated enemy, I suggest we-"

A growl - weak, and low, but a growl nonetheless - interrupted his sentence. He scanned around quickly at the battlefield, turning slowly back to Frank with a cocked head,

"Where did that come from?" He quizzed.

He realised that Frank no longer looked at him, but was seemingly transfixed by something at the base of the cliff wall to his left. Following the human's line of sight, he found himself staring at a rock...

_Not the rock_, Diego corrected quickly, _but the sabre beneath it._

Even with the myriads of wounds, he could recognise Soto. Battered and broken though the sabre appeared, Diego took no chances. He twisted his head towards the base and roared,

"MANNY! TERRY! GET DOWN HERE!" He shouted.

"What is it, boss?" Terry's voice reverberated back.

"We've found Soto!" Diego replied. "And he's alive!"

Seeing that the herd now made their way towards them - with a dozen armed militia, just in case - the sabre turned back to their injured enemy, only for his jaw to hang slack.

Frank, with a degree of stealth he didn't know the human possessed, had made his way towards Soto, kneeling beside him cautiously.

_This is madness, _His mind raced.

"Frank!" He hissed. "What are you doing! Get back!"

The human turned slightly, but not enough for Diego to see his eyes clearly.

"We were all given second chances," He said quietly. "...so should he."

Without realising, Diego let out a low snarl,

"He just tried to kill us..._has killed half of us before..._and you want to give him a second chance?" He snapped incredulously.

Frank shook his head slightly,

"No," He replied calmly. "Not in the same way. But I need to know-"

"Need to know _what, _exactly?"

Diego could barely conceal his anger at the human, his hatred for Soto...not even his bewilderment at the situation he suddenly found himself in. _Madness! _His mind repeated.

Frank swerved enough for the sabre to see his eyes. He didn't see forgiveness, or even compassion, in them...he couldn't place the look.

_Inquisitiveness?_

"Soto, whether knowingly or not, has played right into the plans to kill us," Frank explained quietly. "And if there's anything he can tell us about who is behind him, in exchange for us not killing him here and now, then I need to know," His gaze hardened slightly into a steely kind - tinged with sadness - that Diego hadn't seen before.

"After all, how can we protect our family if we don't even know who's after us?"

As much as Diego hated it, he saw the human's logic. Slowly, his muscles relaxed slightly, accepting the idea,

"Alright," He murmured. "But make it quick."

As Frank turned back to the injured sabre, Diego heard a murmur of shock from behind him,

"What the? Gorramit, what the hell is he doi-"

"Easy, Terry," Diego said calmly.

Terry appeared in the edge of his vision, his hand clenched tightly around the grip of his rifle,

"What is he _doing_ Diego?"

"Finding out who Soto was working for." He stated.

"What the hell's that supposed to me-"

Terry cut himself off, a groan of realisation rising out of him instead of the end of his sentence,

"Of course," The human muttered. "The...what did they call themselves? The..."

"Remnant," Diego finished for him. "He wants to know _who _they are."

All eyes now turned nervously to Frank and Soto, everyone poised to jump into action.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_What the hell are you doing, Frank!_ His mind raged against him. _This isn't worth your...OUR...lives! This is our enemy; he had hunted us for months! He would kill you without a second thought if your roles were reversed. Just kill him and be done with it._

He scanned the sabre, noting the wounds - some severe - covering his body. His fur was matted and clotted with blood in countless places, his breathing rapid and shallow. His lower torso was crushed beneath the fallen boulder.

To Frank's eyes, at that moment the sabre looked weak and vulnerable, not deadly.

For all his mind's protestations, Frank didn't kill him. He glanced down at his sword, intentionally tossing it just out of reach;

If he didn't seem threatening, he reasoned, then Soto wouldn't attack.

His eyes now turned to the bruised and mottled face, staring directly at the half closed eyes.

"Soto." He said quietly.

The sabre stirred. He fluttered his eyes open, taking a casual glimpse down his body to the rock that pinned him, tracing his wounds up himself until - finally - he turned his gaze upwards at Frank. Even from such a position of weakness, Soto's face contorted into a scowl...or was he smiling? Frank couldn't tell.

"Come to kill me with your bare hands, human?" He spat derisively. "Even now, that will not be easy."

"I haven't come to kill you." Frank replied.

Soto let out a harsh, mirthless noise, faintly resembling a chuckle,

"Ah, so you come to offer me a place in your pathetic little band?" He rasped. "So that you can make my dishonour complete?"

"No."

"Then why do you kneel almost within reach of my claws then?" Soto retorted. "Unless you really are as stupid as you look."

Frank paused. Until that moment, Soto had been nothing but a story to him, spoken of by the rest of the herd. They had always made him out as cruel, malicious, _evil. _No hope of redemption, no good to be called to the surface. He had always thought the seemingly demonic character they put forth was surely the result of bias, or selective memory...

As he looked into the deep wells of hatred that now stared back at him, he was faced with the knowledge that, if anything, they had _downplayed _his villainy.

_Just kill him. Nothing good can come of this. _His mind urged once more.

"I'm here to give you a choice," He finally stated. "Answer my questions, and we will treat you back to full health and let you leave this place alive..."

As soon as he said it, he heard angry whispers emanate from behind him. He knew neither his herd, the other herd or the thousands of animals would take kindly to the notion of letting their most hated enemy go...

He knew they would take even less kindly to the thought of actually _treating his wounds._

Determined to finish his sentence, he shot a fierce glare behind him, silencing the murmurs, before turning back to Soto,

"...Or you refuse to answer, and we kill you here and now."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Soto knew the questions that the human wanted answers to. He likewise knew he wouldn't tell him anything...

But his legs were too weak to give the human the killing blow he so desperately wanted to give him, even with him being so close.

_If I could lure him closer with the promise of answers, then I could get him. _He thought keenly, inwardly relieved that he was too weak to let a smile creep onto his face.

He decided to play along with the human's game, letting out a long, rattling sigh as if to admit defeat. For extra measure, he relaxed the muscles he could still move into a resigned posture.

"Ask me your questions." He murmured quietly.

Sure enough, the human moved slightly closer, but still too far away.

_Damn,_ he thought.

"Who told you where to find us?" The human pressed. "You were waiting for the expedition at the beginning. After all the years you could have come and gotten your revenge on the herd, you chose that day, location and moment. Why?"

Soto smiled inwardly.

_Predictable. So__ very predictable._

"They told me," He said. "They told me when you would...arrive...and where you were going. They told me much about you."

"Who?" The human demanded. "Who told you?"

"They have no proper name," He replied, hoping to draw the human in closer with every enigmatic response. "Only what they referred to themselves by..."

The human edged forward slightly, but still just out of reach.

"What did they call themselves?"

The keenness in the human's voice was all too tangible...

_Predictable._

"_'Through forces unseen.'_" He said slowly, as if recalling it from a deep memory.

The words clearly resonated with the human and the traitors he called a herd that stood behind him. The human inched forward,

"Did you see them?"

"Yes."

"Who are they?" Then human demanded, leaning forward a little further, right into Soto's weakened-reach.

Sensing his chance, Soto lunged his claws forward, sinking them deep into the human's back. The human cried out in pain as he forced him closer, getting his neck within reach...

His eyes caught the cliff face right beside him. He smiled, devising a new plan of killing the human, but not before taunting him one last time,

"They are the ones who will one day kill all of you," He hissed into the human's ear. "Kill _both_ of your pitiful bands of traitors...but you will not live past _this_ moment to see it!"

With that, he threw the human into the rock face, hearing a satisfying crunch emanating from the human's face as he crashed, face first, into the wall.

He turned to the herds, now seeing an array of guns pointed at him, and he snarled,

"I would rather _die _than dishonour myself by helping _any_ of you!" He roared.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Diego charged as fast as he could, gunning straight for the crumpled figure that was Frank. He dodged Soto completely, ignored his weak swipe at his legs. He crouched by the human, face down in a small but growing pool of blood. Panicked, he tugged at the human's jacket, pulling him around so he could see the damage.

Cuts, gashes, blood...but Diego winced most of all at the crushed mess where the human's nose ought to be.

"Frank!" He whispered pleadingly, willing the human to stir. "C'mon buddy, wake up!"

The human didn't wake. Diego couldn't even tell if he was still breathing.

Desperation and rage, in equal parts, seared through him. He turned to glare at the sabre that had possibly killed Frank, seeing him still floundering under the rock. In one fluid motion, Diego pounced on him, sinking a claw deep into Soto's neck.

"This is for Frank, Mark, and everyone else you've tortured over the years." He growled into the sabre's ears. Before any emotion could register on Soto's face, Diego yanked his claw through his neck and leapt back before any blood could spill on him. Just as rapidly, he grabbed Frank by his jacket and dragged him to safety as quickly as he could.

As soon as he was out of the firing line, Terry cocked his rifle,

"Take aim!" He said bluntly.

The look on Soto's face was one of almost palpable shock and fear.

"FIRE!" Terry roared.

They had only fired a single round each, but almost two dozens guns were trained on the sabre. In an instant, Soto had ceased living, a hole-riddled corpse taking his place.

_Frank._

Diego snapped away from Soto's corpse, looking back down at Frank.

"NIGEL!" He yelled. "HELP!"

Both herds swarmed around Diego and Frank, all of them looking anxious. Nigel knelt down, placing two fingers underneath Frank's jaw, holding there for a few moments.

"He's alive," Nigel said. The tension in the air immediately eased. The doctor tapped, prodded and listened all over Frank's body. His eyes showed growing unease.

"How is he?" Diego asked nervously.

"He has dangerously shallow breathing, probably due to his smashed nose," Nigel replied. "I can also feel what could be a crack in his skull. We need to get him to the infirmary now, or he will die."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The medical bay felt cramped, even with members of both herds waiting in the corridors beyond. Nigel felt the eyes of everyone fall on him as he activated the auto surgeon, watching Frank disappear into the wall, the space where his bed once was now filled with screens showing detailed medical information.

"How bad is it, doc?" Terry asked tentatively.

Nigel sighed as he scanned the readouts.

"He's stable for now," He murmured. "But the damage to his skull is severe."

He felt a hand grip his arm tightly. He turned to see Claire's tear filled eyes staring at him from mere inches away.

"Is he going to survive?" She demanded.

"Yes," He replied. "But it will take some time for the auto-surgeon to do its jo-"

"How long?" Claire interrupted.

Nigel glanced back at the monitors briefly for his answer.

Almost immediately, he had wished he hadn't.

"About two weeks."

"Two _weeks!" _Diego repeated in stupefaction.

Nigel sighed,

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

Manny, till then a silent figure in the corner, suddenly piped up,

"What are we supposed to do for two weeks?"

"Ahem."

Everyone turned towards the corridor where the noise originated, only to find Hudson standing there, smiling slightly,

"There are a great many things we can do in a fortnight." He said.

Manny turned to the wolf, his eyes quizzical.

"Like what?"

Hudson grinned broadly,

"Bringing about that brave new world I told you all about."

"What!" Was all Manny could muster.

Hudson chuckled,

"The future, Manny..._our _future...is waiting."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

End of Chapter 32

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Soto is dead! Huzzah!  
…granted, Frank got a face full of stone, but then these final chapters are me trying to resolve all the manifold plot threads this story has thrown at me over the last year and a half…  
"But what plot thread requires Frank to interface with a wall?" I hear you ask.**

Well…;)

Thanks for reading! As always, please review (if crit is to be given, remember that constructive criticism is, by its very nature, mostly positive!)

Till 33, adieu


	33. Coming Back Around

**Hello everyone!**

First of all, thank you so much for your reviews! It was genuinely daunting trying to write a chapter that was fun to read…especially when it covered a battle that had already happened once before :P  
So thank you all for putting my mind at ease! I also apologise that I haven't replied to your reviews; life is a bit hectic at the moment, but I will reply to you all as and when I can!

Oh, some good news also; for those of you who pondered what chapters 5,6,7 and 17 looked like if I rewrote them to the standard I hold myself to now, then rejoice, for your pondering have been answered, o mythical reader! Have a look, and let me know what you think :P

And one last thing; I know I have said it often, and often this story has mocked me by throwing in yet more chapters I didn't foresee, but since most of the rest of this story is already written, I can say it confidently; there's only 3 more chapters after this one, and then it's over!...till Yesterday's Child, anyway :P

So, without further ado…

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The sun beat down on his face, the gentle scents of spring mingling with the smells of dirt and sweat in his nostrils. Frank blinked, looking away from the bright orb in the sky but froze when he saw his surroundings. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, because - as far as he was concerned - it was _impossible._

He glanced down at the paving slabs, speckled with newspapers and cigarette butts, moving his gaze further upwards to the two large, classically sculpted fountains, finally resting his eyes upon massive bronze casts of animals - not just lions, to his surprise, but four different animals - surrounding the base of a stone column. Refusing to believe what he was seeing he craned his neck upwards, scanning up to the top of the column, letting out a small gasp as he saw the stone figure standing atop of it, arm folded into its jacket, casting a resolute stare to its south.

Frank couldn't help but smile as he stared at the column and it's lone inhabitant, feeling a sense of privilege deep down; he knew he was staring at Nelson's column, and he knew equally well that he had witnessed it collapse into a mass of rubble during the Troubles.

"This is a dream." He said aloud.

"Indeed it is, Mr. Howard, and it is also your move."

Frank snapped round in his chair, only now realising he was sharing his little table. Hudson sat opposite him, smiling broadly. Frank couldn't help but chuckle.

"Do all my dreams come with you as standard these days?" He asked with a trace of sarcasm.

Hudson's smile remained fixed,

"Only for important occasions," He replied amicably. "Or when you give your head a vicious seeing to."

Almost instinctively, Frank placed a hand on his face as distant memories of Soto and a rapidly approaching rock wall flooded back to mind. A pang of urgency erupted in him,

"Am I dead?" He asked.

Hudson folded his paws on the table. It was only then that Frank noticed the chess set arrayed on the table's surface. Intrigued, he none the less returned his attention to the wolf.

"What makes you say that, Mr. Howard?" The wolf asked.

As the wolf spoke, Frank heard the distant and unmistakable chiming of Big Ben, giving him both a chill and elation at the same time. He swung his arm around, making a gesture that encompassed the whole area.

"This is Trafalgar Square," He said. "The last I saw of it, it was utterly destroyed. And I certainly don't remember a day like this one, which seems like a curious break from your past _obsessions_."

The wolf smiled knowingly,

"Ah," He replied. "Not thinking I'm a hallucination anymore then, are we?"

Frank blinked at the statement. He glanced down, now fumbling with one of the rooks on his side of the table, noting how they weren't of the traditional kind. As he scanned them all, he realised that the pieces were different species; humans for rooks, sabres for knights, weasels for bishops, mammoths for both the king and queen and an assortment of opossums and sloths for pawns.

He studied the pieces, all arrayed in a game that was already in progress, still pondering the wolf's question. He let out a sigh, placing the rook carefully back in it's position.

"I'm a scientist," He replied quietly. He sat back in his chair, staring once more at the wolf. "It's part of the job to have an open mind...but also-"

"To have questions," The wolf interjected. "Questions you want answers to."

Frank nodded. He leant forward, flicking a brief gaze upwards at the National Gallery, seeing a small section of its portico and dome as he waited for an answer.

"And I will be glad to enlighten your queries," The wolf stated. "So long as you move first. It's terribly hard to play a game when one's opponent does not move."

Frank sighed in annoyance, feeling the game was superfluous, not worth his time. In the hope of answers, he obligingly leant over the board, ascertaining his options.

"Why are we here in Trafalgar Square, playing chess?" He quizzed. He studied the board briefly, waiting for the wolf to reply. He brusquely moved his bishop.

Hudson smiled, his attention seemingly fixed on the game.

"I could say that, as we speak, your friends and family are currently attending to your fairly impressive head wounds," He said absently. "And are, as we speak, waiting beside the autosurgeon – amongst other things – as you heal…though I doubt my claiming to be keeping you company whilst they treat you would satisfy you, so I thought I'd show you this as well." He pointed over Frank's shoulder.

Frank furrowed his brow in confusion, unsure why the wolf would encourage his attention on the game, only to distract him from it. With blunt, angry motions, he twisted in his seat, getting a good look at the fountains, and at the group playing around it...

His eyes widened, pulse quickened, and took in a sharp breath as he saw what it was Hudson was pointing at;

Two towering mammoths stood by the side of the nearest fountain, splashing water at a much smaller mammoth, two opossums, a weasel, a young sabre and a human boy who thrashed and frolicked within the water, splashing back eagerly as four humans, a sloth and a sabre stood out of water shot, laughing joyously.

Frank had never seen Manny so full of life, so happy, so... _complete_ ...before.

He quickly corrected himself; he had never seen _any _of that group so happy before...

He leant forward, peering intently at the two humans that stood beside Claire and his other self, trying to figure out why he recognised them...

His eyes darted widely,

"My God," He exclaimed. He snapped back to the wolf frantically. "Those are...they are...m-my..."

Hudson chuckled,

"Yes indeed, Mr Howard," He said congenially. "Christopher and Sarah Howard, your parents."

Frank withstood the all-consuming urge to leap out of his seat, run as hard as he could and wrap his long dead parents in his arms. His eyes watered, smiling broadly as he watched them laughing, full of energy and _life._

His smile lessened as his memories caught up with him, as the vivid recollections of their funerals, their graves, their deaths in harsh circumstances returned to him.

He longed at that moment that all he was seeing was true, that he really was sitting in Trafalgar Square, watching his herd and his parents enjoy the sunshine. But, deep down, he knew it could never be.

"This can't be real." He said, tears of joy and bitterness mingling down his face.

"That, Mr. Howard, depends on what your next move will be."

He jerked back so forcefully he nearly toppled the table, staring at the wolf with incredulous shock.

"W-what?" He stammered.

Hudson smiled knowingly, moving his rook forward as he did so. Frank tensed up, anger growing in him that the wolf seemed to care more about the game than answering his questions...

_Wait... _he thought, suddenly seeing new significance in the chess pieces before him.

He glanced at the herd, then at the chess board and back again several times, almost refusing to see the connection.

_It all depends on what your next move will be._

He turned back to Hudson with a look of confusion, shock and realisation etched onto his face.

"Alright," He mustered. "You have my attention. What do you mean?"

Hudson nudged his head at the board,

"For me to explain, you must move," He replied. "You are currently in check."

Frank swallowed against the deluge of questions and complaints that welled within him and complied, studying the board carefully;

He saw Hudson's queen - hooded and cloaked, which piqued Frank's curiosity, calling to mind memories of a few half-remembered events - was threatening his king, but as he scoured the board for maneuvers out of the predicament, his heart sank a little. Now that he had attached seeming importance to the game before him, he didn't wish to lose any of his pieces. Begrudgingly he moved his knight, blocking the path between his king and the attacking queen.

Hudson nodded in satisfaction,

"Now, why did you move any pieces at all?" He asked.

Frank looked at him uncomprehendingly.

"Because I had to?" He said, unsure if it was somehow a trick question.

"But why?"

Frank tensed up, wondering whether the apparition before him was his mind's way of letting him know it was partially damaged. He swallowed hard once more, driving such thoughts out of his mind. He opted to humour the question,

"Because, if I didn't, you would have won."

Hudson nodded,

"Precisely," He said approvingly. "And in the game that is now afoot you have two choices, Mr. Howard; you must choose between doing nothing, which will result in the loss of all you love. Or you must fight for it, which..." He trailed off for a moment as he moved. With a swipe of his paw, he shifted the queen forward, usurping the knight's position, placing him once more in check. "...which might still cost you all you love...but then, it might save it too."

Frank frowned at the board before him. He knew he was beaten, that the game was pointless, that it was all a dream and soon he would wake up, that there were better things present to occupy his mind...

And yet, as far as he was concerned, the game was the most important thing in the world.

He racked his brain, willing his mind to create fantastical methods of freeing his king from the deathly hold it was in. His frown turned, now affixed to his queen, seeing it flicker between the appearance of a mammoth one moment, a human woman the next.

_Too dangerous, _he thought. He knew such a decision flew in the face of all logic that was tied into the game, yet his heart had sensed - or his mind had created - an all consuming fact:

He wasn't playing a game with mere pieces; he was playing God with lives.

Frantically, his mind spun dozens of plans, counter-plans, possible openings and pitfalls. Yet every outcome led to the same conclusions;

_Too dangerous. Too risky. Too many losses._

Frank could tell from the gentle, amused smile the wolf exhibited that Hudson could perceive the mental battle raging within him, the desperation in trying to save his pieces...his _people._

Anger roiled within him, seeing the hopelessness of his situation. His frown deepened as he raged internally against the gods, fates, powers that be, stirring in himself every fibre of verse and prose to spit out at his tormentor, still seated in infuriating patient silence before him.

"Goddamn it to hell," He grumbled, suddenly aware that his best stab at poetics seemingly faltered into something akin to Terry's day-to-day speech.

Deflated with this new realisation - and a hurried promise to himself to rectify such a devastating impediment - he picked up his king, intending to place it on his side. Yet even as he moved it, he witnessed it shimmer and morph into a different piece altogether. Fumbling the piece through his hands, he now made out the distinctive appearance of the sabre knight he had just lost. He looked up at Hudson, his eyes conveying confusion, bewilderment, _loss._

The wolf chuckled, seemingly paying more attention to brushing off some dust in his fur than to Frank's nonplussed stare. Satisfied at his fur's cleanliness the wolf met his gaze, his eyes as full of certainty and answers as Frank's lacked.

"I think you already know the answer to all your questions, Mr. Howard," He replied quietly as if he could read Frank's mind. He paused for a seeming eternity, their little corner of Trafalgar Square as silent as the loud, boisterous noises of life that flowed over them from everywhere else...

Frank didn't care about everywhere else; he wanted an answer. He wanted something he could quantify, understand, evaluate...

Above all else, he wanted something to explain why he was put through such dreams.

"...you know, or should know by now, that your herd of misplaced and mismatched souls is far more important than meets the eye," The wolf finally said, breaking the little bubble of silence they had previously filled. "Regardless of your thoughts and opinions on the matter, your actions and non-actions have, are, and will determine the fates of countless millions, spanning thousands of years. And for that reason..._they_...will come for you."

Frank leant forward, the world around him seemingly dulling into distant white noise, all his attention fixed on a wolf that he earnestly believed held the answers, even as part of his mind reminded him he _also_ believed the person before him to be a hallucination.

"Who will come for us?" He demanded, suddenly feeling a torrent of questions surging through him. "Who are you? Why have you forced me through these dreams? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!"

Frank breathed heavily, realising he had shouted the last question, jumped out of his seat, and had sent his chair and almost the table, tumbling over backwards. To his surprise, nothing and no one else stirred at his angry questioning; not the couple on the table beside them, not the herd playing in the fountains behind him, not even the pigeon perched on the stone ledge above him. He felt absurd at that moment. Calming down, he picked up his chair and quietly sat in it, waiting keenly for any response.

The wolf's smile vanished, replaced with something Frank couldn't put his finger on. _Anger_? Possibly. _Disappointment_? Perhaps... As the wolf picked up one of his pieces, hooded and cloaked and painted in black like the rest of his pieces, Frank saw the expression form more fully;

_Sorrow, _though for what or why, Frank hadn't a clue.

"'_Through forces unseen',"_ Hudson said distantly. "_They_, Mr. Howard, will come for you, topple you, force you into a checkmate you must manoeuvre out of at great cost to yourselves..." Frank suddenly felt the full force of his intense gaze fall upon him, causing him to shift uncomfortably in his seat, feeling as if his soul could be seen with such a stare.

Hudson, oblivious to his discomfort under his potent look, continued.

"They know war is coming, and its outcome depends on all of your actions: from Crash and Eddie, to Diego and Manny, and also yourself."

Frank nodded as if understanding while thinking: _what war?_

Hudson placed the chess piece gruffly on the table, rubbing his paw as if trying to wipe away something unpleasant. "As to who I am, we both know I am not the Hudson you are familiar with, much as we both know you have narrowed your options as to _what _I am down to two choices: delusion or divine."

"The two aren't separate concepts as far as I'm concerned," Frank said bluntly, though with a little less conviction than he used to exhibit. He pondered the choice, smiling wryly. "You know, Sam will be incredibly pissed that her dear-and-fluffy-Lord opted for me over her for these..._visions_..."

The last word left a bad taste in his mouth, regardless of the apparent applicability of the word to his predicament. Faux-Hudson laughed heartily whilst Frank backtracked through what the wolf had just said. He wondered what he meant...

In a fit of realisation, his mind, heart and soul went cold,

"Through forces unseen," He repeated slowly. "So these unseen forces..." He racked his brain, trying to remember the name the awful little poem had stated. "These..._Remnant_...they are the ones coming for us?"

Faux-Hudson nodded slightly, yet also shaking his head, just as slightly,

"They will be hunting you...though they haven't yet. Not truly."

Frank sat still, utterly bemused.

"What do you mean, _'They haven't yet'!_" He almost spat. "It seems pretty clear they tried to kill us! _Have already _killed us once!" He quickly added the last sentence, the other herd's trials suddenly springing back to mind.

Faux-Hudson nodded imperceptibly.

"Both true, and false, Mr. Howard...But as to how that can be so, I shall let you discover the truth of the matter on your own," He mussitated. "For now, you must wake up."

"What?" Frank spluttered. Slowly, it dawned on him where he was, but he didn't care; he wanted to stay.

"I still have questions." Frank managed.

The wolf smiled. It struck Frank as more deep and genuine than any smile he had seen before.

"You will _always _have questions. Questions are what drive us all, and I wish you well as you find your answers! But, for the here and now, I wish you Godspeed Mr. Howard," He said warmly. "And farewell...for the moment."

He opened his mouth, hoping to formulate words in reply, but he was cut off as voices - muffled yet becoming clearer, filled the air;

_Frank! Can you hear me?_

_I don't understand...the anesthetic should have worn off by now..._

_Is he dead?_

_Nah, he's too stubborn to die short of an explosion, and besides - the computer says his heart's still beatin'...Boss! Ya gotta wake up!_

Trafalgar Square, the mass of people and busyness, the herd, Hudson and his chessboard, even the sunlight and the skies, trees and buildings melted around him, his world suddenly growing dark.

Knowing it could be his last chance to see them, he spun around to take one last glance at his parents.

But he was too late; they had already disappeared.

With a heavy heart, Frank closed his eyes, giving himself over to the waking world.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The air smelled clean and sterile in his nostrils, the bed firm but comfortable beneath him. Beyond the hushed chatter surrounding him, he could hear the gentle but persistent whirring of machines.

It didn't take him long to sense he was in the infirmary, even before he opened his eyes.

Moments later, a hand gently clasped his arm,

"Frank? Can you hear me?" He heard Claire's soft voice fill his ears,

_Yes I'm fine thanks! What am I doing in the infirmary? What happened? _He willed himself to say,

"Unghghhh." Was all he managed.

"Poetic as always, boss," He heard Terry say. He could practically _hear_ the grin on the other man's face.

_Will you stop smiling you pathetic excuse for a mountain of muscle! _He tried to spit at him,

"Ungh."

Slowly, cautiously, he opened his eyes. As the blurs focused into shapes, he could make out Claire – sitting closely beside him - Diego, Hudson and Terry.

"...Hello...everyone..." He mustered.

"Welcome back, buddy," Diego said, grinning broadly. "How do you feel?"

Frank licked his dry lips with his dry tongue, taking a brief stock of his own condition; his head felt tender and sore, his ribs even more so. All over his body his skin felt tingly and itchy, coupled with a distinct undertone of nausea.

Still alive, but very, _very _sore,

"Like...a bus...has hit me," He finally slurred. "What happened?"

"You very nearly left us, Frank," Hudson replied. "It was a close call."

"Yeah, you gotta face full of rock from Soto as thanks for giving him that second chance, boss," Terry added. A satisfied smile crept over the man's face. "Diego gave him a Chelsea smile an' we gave him a face full of bullets; after all, if it ain't me punchin' ya, then it just ain't right."

Frank seemingly fazed out, a slight smile on his face. If he had almost died, then he could explain the dream; he had read of how the mind kicks into overdrive when it perceives to be dying, creating all kinds of hallucinations.

_A near death experience..._

"That makes more sense." He murmured to himself. Claire, so close to him that she heard his statement, cocked her head,

"What?"

He shook his head,

"Never mind,"

He leant himself up slowly into a seated position. As he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, he felt them creaking and groaning. Given the amount of effort it took him just to move, he was convinced that the ground wasn't even as stiff as he felt.

"How long was I out?"

"About two weeks." Diego stated.

_Two weeks!_ His mind reeled, suddenly protesting against the notion that he had lost over half a week. Slowly, groggily, he turned to Claire, flickering sluggishly to Diego,

"What did I-" He cut himself off as he suddenly noticed that Hudson and Terry looked..._different._

"-miss." He finished, his eyes now fixed on the wolf. His attention was immediately caught by the peaked cap, the decorative and formal clothing on his front half...

Frank resisted the urge to laugh at the wolf, evidently in full dress uniform. The symbol of the United Nations sat proudly on the upper part of his right sleeve.

"_Lieutenant _Hudson, I presume?" He said, barely concealing his smile.

"It's _Colonel _Hudson now," He replied as a cheeky grin crept along his face. "I now outrank you, _captain_."

He turned to Terry, noting that he was clad in the same dress uniform, the only difference was that he showing the stars signifying his rank as a general - _General! _Frank's mind reeled - his eyes turned to Diego pleadingly,

"Am I hallucinating?" He asked aloud.

Diego chuckled,

"Nope," He said. "Though some things have...changed...whilst you were out."

Frank's confusion deepened,

"What!"

"I'm not sure telling you will help much," The sabre admitted. "I think you really need to _see _it."

"But not before you have a shower, boss," Terry quickly added. "No offence, Frank, but you _stink."_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Freshly showered, he found his clothes – washed, cleaned and even patched up – laid out on his bed. As the leathery smell of his jacket mingling in his nostrils with the fresh smell of his cotton shirt, Frank felt almost like a new man. But even the confidence that brought him wasn't enough to stop his ambivalence about facing the new…changes…that the others wanted him to see. In the corner of the room he saw his rifle and his sword, both significantly cleaner - namely, unbloodied - than he remembered last seeing them. Without a second thought, he strapped on his sword, the extra weight by his side giving him a subtle reassurance. It barely registered in the back of his mind that he had only _technically_ possessed the thing – not counting the eight months lost to time travel and the two weeks lost to injury – for only a matter of days, but he didn't care; as he rested his hand on its hilt, it felt like it had _always _been there. As prepared as he would ever be, he began making his way to the exit and the mass of people waiting for him.

When Hudson saw him armed, he smiled in confusion,

"Are you expecting another fight?" He asked quizzically.

"To be honest, I don't know what to expect," He replied, eyeing the wolf with interest. The thought had occurred to him that he really _was_ dead, and that the apparition that had occupied his dreams was just toying with him.

"You are the real Hudson, right?" He blurted aloud, wincing at just how _stupid _the query sounded outside his own head.

Terry, standing beside the wolf, snorted in amusement,

"Did the face fulla' rock screw up more than just your nose, boss?" He cajoled. "'Course he's real!"

"Just checking," Frank quickly replied, forcing a smile. Determined not to let them dwell on his comment any longer, he glanced out the door at the bright, open space of the courtyard. He could see traces of snow everywhere, complemented by the dazzling blue of the sky above. The courtyard teemed with animals, all of them cheering and celebrating.

"What's going on?" He quizzed.

"Well, now that yer not stinkin' up the place, wanna go see for yourself, boss?" Terry said.

_Not yet, _he thought.

"Yes," He said aloud. He bowed slightly, gesturing with his hand towards the door and the outside world. "Care to lead the way?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Words failed Frank as he stepped through the doorway and into the courtyard. Even his thoughts failed him; there was just too much to take in. He stood, stunned, mouth agape at the scenes before him, his mind only slowly registering what he was seeing;

It was a party. _No, _he thought, _too small a word. _A celebration? _Too small. _A rave? _Wrong word. _Parade? _Wrong..._

His mind failed to put a word to the sights before him. He saw _thousands _of animals dancing around fires, cheering and whooping and laughing. Beyond them, he saw tables scattered, all of them brimming with food and drink. Beside the southern gate - the battered truck he had arrived in seemingly a lifetime ago now strangely absent - he saw a mass of empty bottles, growing even as he watched.

He had never seen so much sheer joy _ever _in his life, much less concentrated into such a small space.

It was then that he saw Manny - both of them, in fact - actually joining in, circling around one of the fires to the sound of the music...

_Music?_

Over the din of the cheering and laughing, he followed the melodic sounds, his head slowly craning towards the northern gate. As he fell upon its source, his mind drew a blank in confusion.

It was a mix of animals and humans - humans he had never seen before - playing instruments he instantly recognised; guitars, flutes, drums...

As he scanned the festival once more, he saw more such animals and humans; some were dancing and celebrating, others were standing by the side, all of them wearing the same garbs of camouflage and vests he knew all too well from his own past...

His mind was reeling; humans in military gear, he could understand, but _animals?_

"DAD!"

He barely snapped himself out of his own bewilderment in time to catch his son charging towards him, wrapping his arms around him in the tightest hug the man had ever known.

_Can't...breathe... _He sent mentally to his son, unable to speak the words aloud.

As if hearing him, the boy's grip slackened. Frank took a gasp of air, wrapping his own arms around his son.

"I'm so glad you're ok!" Ben said, his voice muffled by Frank's jacket. "Soto nearly killed you!"

Frank clutched Ben tighter, even as he turned his head over to Hudson, mouthing silently, _He did?_

Hudson chuckled,

"A little too close for our comfort, really," He replied. "But Terry's right; you just seem a little too..._stubborn..._to die from a _mere _cracking of your skull and shattering of your nose."

"Well, I guess it runs in the family!"

Frank snapped around to his left, seeing Claire, Sam and Buck all standing there, grinning like idiots. Ben unwrapped himself from him, bundling towards the fire, apparently engaging in play-fighting with Mark.

"'ow's yer nose, mate?" Buck asked, drawing his attention back.

"Um...fine, i guess?" He replied cautiously, instinctively touching his nose,

_What the hell happened to me?_

Before he could open his mouth, Sam halted him, raising her hand playfully,

"Questions later," She said. "For now, I believe the doctor ordered a good dose of wine, food and a lot of dancing!"

"About that," Frank said, making a gesture that encompassed the whole base. "What's all this for?"

Sam laughed warmly,

"Oh, you know, not much," She replied. "Just the little details of thousands of prey defeating the greatest army of predators the world has known so far...oh, and the dawn of a new era...oh, and of course to welcome their _guests_."

"Guests?" Frank mustered.

"Surely yer eyes can see, mate!" Buck chimed in. "They're all ova the place! From the UNTC, woteva that is."

_The UN!_

Frank shot a panicked look at Sam, sending her a clear meaning,

_What the hell is the UN doing here?_

"Relax, Frank!" She said, smiling. "It's not the UN you remember! Especially since the Troubles never happened...and the _minor _detail that I'm its leader."

"WHAT?" Frank exclaimed.

Claire, till then silent, moved forward and clutched his arm. Gently, but firmly, she tugged him towards the sea of movement and joy that swarmed the base beyond his little oasis of bewilderment.

"Like Sam said; questions later, dancing now!" Claire laughed.

Her laugh was infectious to Frank.Suddenly, all questions he had were swept aside as the desire to dance with Claire - until his legs could take no more - grew. It had been years since his life was truly his own and now, on the concreted base floor from a time that no longer existed, twenty thousand years before they were born, he knew he was free. He kissed his wife, his lips on hers for an eternity, and savoured it; for the first time in years, they were just husband and wife. He could see Manny and Ellie laughing with one another, Sid spinning wildly through the courtyard, Diego and Mark laughing by the sidelines...

In this, the strangest of places he had ever been, Frank had never felt more at home. So in thought he was that he barely realised Claire starting to spin them.

_Oh, right, dancing..._he thought.

With gusto, Claire's body beside his, her hands in his, he danced.

As they swirled and swirled, his wife in his arms, the world dissolved into blurs. Only her face - more happy than he had ever seen her - now filled his vision.

_If I have died, _he thought, _then this must be Heaven._

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

As the sun set beyond the cliffs, and the thousands of revelers retired into the main complex, Manny started his way across the courtyard towards his meeting, dodging occasional groups of animals, all singing the hastily composed songs of their defeat of Soto and of the Victors of Halstead Pass.

He had never experienced a festival before, much less one that had run continuously for almost two weeks. He slowed to a pause, craning his neck backwards and upwards to get a glimpse of the towering complex behind him. Light's shone brightly out all of its windows as heat, smells and yet more singing trailed from the building, mostly out of the still-ravaged window of the mess hall.

Whether it was the joy or the amount of alcohol he had drunk, he felt warm inside.

He reckoned it was a copious mix of both.

He continued his move away from the warm complex out into the colder air with a stumble.

_You're drunk, Manfred, _his mind noted as he quickly righted himself. He winced inside, knowing full well it would be a slightly inebriated mammoth who had to sit down and talk with Sam, Terry, Hudson and Diego.

He was so deep in his thoughts - and using all his fuzzy willpower just to walk straight - he very nearly missed Frank, who was stumbling in towards a table full of bottles. He glanced at the staggered gait and bleary eyes of the human, and knew Frank had had enough...so much in fact, Frank seemingly could no longer tell that _himself_. With a speed he didn't expect himself to still be capable of, he clasped the man's sleeve with his trunk, very nearly toppling Frank backwards.

He could tell, purely from the man's scent, that he was drunk.

"No more drink for you." The mammoth said quietly.

"Why not?" Frank slurred, his tone slightly annoyed. Manny could tell, even besides the inebriation, that the human was still weakened by his recovery. But neither his weakness or his drunkenness could dampen the glare he was shooting Manny's way;

_What could be so important that you are standing between me and whiskey._

"Look at you!" Manny replied. "You can barely stand, let alone walk! The best thing you can do, for _all_ of our sakes, is to get to bed."

Frank groaned,

"Can't it wait till the morning?" He pleaded. "I'm _tired _of sleeping_. _I've been hospitalised for a fortnight!_"_

Manny snorted,

"Well you can have a little more beauty sleep then!" He retorted as he nudged Frank towards the stairwell door, ignoring his protestations. "Come on, drunkie. Bed time!"

Frank's rising anger, and his seeming incapacity to co-ordinate it, amused Manny slightly. The high pitched voice the human had assumed amused him even more so, scattered between the gentle but firm nudges he gave him with his trunk.

"Don't you lecture me...hey! Gerrof me! Aw come on Manny...this isn't even funny!" Frank complained loudly, but Manny kept pushing him closer to the door, and farther away from the whiskey. "I'm armed you know! Oh come on Manny this isn't funn- for the love of God watch it! Ooof..."

Manny winced slightly, realising he had just forced Frank into the _side _of the door, rather than through it. Angrily, Frank swatted his trunk away, and righted himself, glaring at Manny through bleary eyes. Even with all his willpower clearly in force, the human still swayed,

"Fine!" Frank shouted. "I'm going to bed! Lousy killjoy, good for nothing bastard!"

The human glared at the mammoth, spun so fast he almost toppled, righted himself, and stumbled up the stairs. As Manny watched him leave, he heaved a sigh,

_Note to self: __never_ _let Frank near too much alcohol._

He glanced back up at the imposing structure, wondering what was taking Diego so long; they had agreed to meet at sundown, and yet he still hadn't emerged.

He let out a sigh as he lay down, waiting for the sabre.

As time passed, Manny found his eyes drifting over to the bottle-filled table. For a long while he stared at the whiskey bottles, and then back at the door where Frank had been. Satisfied the human was no longer nearby, he edged himself over to the bottles, slowly gathering them into his trunk.

"Yo, Manny!"

The mammoth spun round, nearly toppling all of the bottles he was holding in his trunk.

"Diego!" He exclaimed in surprise. "Hey buddy!...ah...what took you so long?"

The sabre shrugged, his eyes showing the barest glint of amusement,

"Oh, it was nothing," He replied. "Just stumbled into Frank, who fell asleep in the hallway grumbling about you getting between him and his whiskey...correction, _that_ whiskey...the stuff you are conveniently now holding..."

Diego's eyes glanced down at the bottles, an accusing smile creeping over his face. Manny blushed under his fur, knowing he had been caught red handed. He let out a nervous laugh,

"Well, he had drunk way too much-"

"And you're just being a good citizen and holding them in your trunk to stop him?" Diego interrupted, smirking. Manny's cheeks felt red hot under the sabre's stare. He chuckled slightly,

"Well, you know, we've got a meeting now...could be a long one, so...ah...so I thought I'd bring drinks!"

Manny watched the sabre's eyebrows raise, wondering if he could look any more unimpressed than he did at that moment.

"Sure," Diego said sarcastically. "Because what we all need right now is _more _alcohol."

Silence fell between them as Diego locked eyes with Manny, his meaning clear; _Put them down. _Almost instinctively, he curled his trunk closer to himself, hiding the bottles from clear view. Intent on escaping Diego's glare, he put on a smile, and walked towards the northern gates, where he imaged he could see Hudson, Terry and Sam, seated quietly by a fire. As he squinted, he could see a small wisp of smoke drifting up from beyond the gate.

"Come on Diego," He called back. "We're late!"

He could hear Diego eventually trailing after him, the heat of his recriminatory stare resting squarely between Manny's shoulders...

That, or the wine was taking a heavier toll on him than he had previously thought.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The laughter flowed almost as much as the whiskey did. Manny didn't know why they were laughing; none of the jokes said were funny, nor the anecdotes especially amusing...but they _were._ For no other discernible reason than drink, they were all laughing raucously.

Even Hudson - notably enjoying a single drink - was laughing.

He couldn't tell how long it went on for - maybe hours, or even just minutes - but he loved every second of it; they had had a very hard few months. To be laughing again, now that danger no longer hung over them, felt liberating; they were _free. _Free from Soto, free from impending doom and enemy armies and fleeing across hundreds of miles...

But now that it was gone, Manny found himself wondering what they would do next.

"So, what now?"

Manny snapped up and stared beside him at Diego, surprised that someone else was thinking the same thoughts.

"Well, boss," Terry muttered, his face barely visible beyond the fire. "I guess we could go to be-"

"I don't mean _now _now," Diego interrupted. "I meant, now that Soto's been defeated, what do we do now?"

"I guess we should start heading home soon," Manny said aloud. "It'd be nice to see our valley again. And besides, it's probably going to be a long walk..."

Terry, till then draining his glass, spat it all out into the fire, the flame briefly flaring as the alcohol ignited.

"Walk!" He spluttered incredulously. "Sorry boss, I must be mishearing ya; did you just say _walk?"_

Manny shot him a bewildered look,

"Yes," He said. "Walk. How else are we going to get back? _Fly_?"

"It'd be a damn sight quicker, boss!" Terry replied, swaying his arms in what Manny could only assume was his attempt at pointing towards the Pass. "D'ya even realise how _far _you came?"

Manny paused; if he were honest, he didn't. It had been a long time since he had come so far north, and he had _never _done it in one fell swoop before. He racked his brain, picturing all they had seen; images of forests, fields, mountains, cliffs, Porcupine Gorge, the Meltdown Valley,the Roseberry Plains...

_Crap, _he thought.

Whether from the alcohol or the shock realisation, Manny's mind reeled; they had to be _hundreds_ of miles from home...

"Seven hundred and forty nine miles, to be precise." Hudson said aloud, as if reading his mind.

"What!" Manny and Diego exclaimed in unison.

"But how's that possible?" Diego asked.

"By flying carpet, naturally," Hudson replied sarcastically. "Or, if one wishes to be mundane, it could be that you walked an average of ten to fifteen miles a day over a few months."

"Crap," Diego murmured under his breath. "It's gonna take months to get home."

Sam leant forward, out of the arms of Terry. As the fire lit her face, Manny could see a knowing smile planted firmly on it.

"Oh, don't you worry about that, Diego," She said. "We've got that covered...and that's not why we wanted to speak to you two tonight."

Manny cocked his head in curiosity. He had wondered why he and Diego alone had been asked to meet that night.

"Why _did _you wanna speak with us, then?" He quizzed.

Sam grinned warmly at them,

"Since you two are essentially the leaders of the herd, we wanted to give you a quick history lesson about the lands around you."

Manny scoffed. In all his years, he had been to every corner of known lands; as far as he was concerned, it was _Sam _who should be taking the lesson from _him_, not the other way around.

"Come on," He said jokingly. "It's not like everything's different! What have you _really _brought us here for?"

"Actually, boss," Terry replied, now also leaning into the light of the fire. "Everything around you is kinda different..."

He smiled, convinced they were trying to pull a prank on him. But as he looked at the three of them, he saw earnestness in their eyes. After a few moments, his heart sank. He glanced around him, noting the base walls, realising the truth in their statements; _everything _has_ changed._

He let out a sigh,

"Alright then," He murmured. "What's new?"

Sam shifted in her place, assuming a more comfortable position, her eyes cast directly at Manny.

"Well," She said. "For one thing, the Bredelands are very different."

Manny nearly jumped out of his seat, even as Diego looked on in confusion.

"The _what _lands?" Diego quizzed. When he saw Manny's reaction, he was even more bewildered. "Manny, do you _know_ what these crackpots are even talking about?"

Manny did. He knew it well. _Extremely _well.

"What's changed about it?" He asked, more forcefully than he intended.

"Oh a few things," Sam replied. "Like the fact we are currently sitting on their northernmost border-"

"Impossible," Manny cut in. "The Bredelands are almost completely within the Wildernesse Plains out east."

"Not any more," Hudson said firmly.

Before Manny could respond, Diego quickly raised his paw,

"Could someone tell me what you guys are talking about?" He asked. "I haven't got any idea what this place even is, let alone why we should care if it's bigger or different or...whatever."

Manny opened his mouth to tell him, but rapidly shut it; for all he knew, everything he remembered was now wrong. The thought boggled him, and left him feeling more than a trace uneasy; granted, he had fled the lands of his ancestors, but it didn't mean he didn't still care for them. The thought his homelands had changed without his knowing about it jarred him.

Along with Diego, he looked to the three sitting opposite them, silently begging them for answers.

Sam sat upright, cleared her throat, and looked into the fire as if preparing to tell a story, but then seemingly thought better of it,

"I can't quite explain it," She admitted. "At least not properly...but then, I don't have to; you'll be getting a first hand glimpse of the Bredelands a few years from now, that I can guarantee. And don't worry Manny; it's not so different that you won't recognise it. All I can tell you is that you have walked across most of it in the last few months...well, in a manner anyway. In this timeline, everything from here to Porcupine Gorge in the south, the Sea in the west and the Wildernesse Plains in the east is theirs. And I need to ask you to _stay away_, at least for the next few years."

Manny didn't know whether he should be disappointed that he has been left in the dark about what his homelands had become, stunned at how big it suddenly was, or confused at the request to stay away. To his relief, Diego spoke, breaking their silence,

"How are we supposed to get home if we can't go through it?" Diego demanded. "It's not like there's an easy way around that place!"

Sam smiled softly,

"Like I said, we have your way home covered."

"But how?" Diego repeated.

Terry chuckled, downing another shot of whiskey,

"Yer forgetting, boss," He murmured. "That you're speaking to the leader of the United Nations Temporal Commission. You'll be home by tomorrow afternoon, can promise you that, boss!"

Manny groaned as the realisation hit him,

"Of course," He murmured. "Time travel."

"You got it, boss," Terry said, grinning. "Havin' the means to go anywhere, anytime is all manner of useful! Of course, we gotta get some stuff done first before we get you home. Sam here thinks y'all deserve some mighty fine explainin' as to what happened and why...oh, and we need to ask Frank and his family if they wanna stay here or not."

Manny and Diego jolted, sharing a look of stunned horror. Of all they had heard and seen, that notion tore right at their cores. The thought of Frank, Claire and Ben leaving unsettled him...

Diego leant forward, his eyes betraying the panic beneath his calm exterior,

"Does he?" He asked. Hudson started flustering, but was silenced by Diego. "Knock it off wolfie. You guys are from the future, and it seems you know what's going to happen before we do...so tell us; does he?"

Sam smiled weakly, nestling into Terry's arms as if her energy had just dried up.

"Frank would hate it if I told you," She said quietly. "He would accuse me of predestining him to either stay or go...It's best we let them decide for themselves, tomorrow."

Manny could sense, from Sam's tone and expression, that they would get nowhere further on that topic. But as his mind dwelt on the subject, Diego's question resurfaced in his mind;  
_It seems you know what's going to happen._

"How do you know what's going to happen?" Manny said aloud.

Terry shot him an odd look,  
"'scuse me?" He said.

Manny took a breath, realising as he did so that all his questions were coming to the fore,  
"How did everything work out so well? How do you fit into all of this? How do we? And how do you know what is going to happen before even the people involved do?"

Sam smiled weakly, her eyes glazed over in thought.  
"All of that comes under the 'mighty fine explainin' my husband promised would be tomorrow."

Manny snorted,  
"So what? You can't just repeat it twice?"

"It's not as simple as you seem to think," Sam retorted, her reserves of energy drained beyond the capacity to utilise emotion. "And I'm not keen on repeating it over and over; I promise you I will try and explain in the morning."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Manny paced through the corridors of the base absentmindedly, his thoughts churning over what he had heard that night. As he found the conference room he, Ellie and Peaches had claimed for their own and lay down to sleep, his mind drifted to the Bredelands, to the answers awaiting them in the morning...

Mostly, his thoughts dwelt on Frank, Claire and Ben, wondering if they would still be part of his herd in the evening.

Slowly, he closed his eyes.

_A lot's happening tomorrow, _he thought, weariness finally catching up with him.

His mind still dwelling on everything that had happened, and was about to happen, Manny drifted into a fitful sleep.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

**End of Chapter 33  
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

Since the A/N above is so long, I shall keep this one brisk; thanks for reading, please review! Anything that isn't a review high on the flame-o-meter is welcome. Please make any constructive criticism you have actually constructive rather than just criticism!

Have a good week!  
Till 34,  
Trev


	34. The Long Goodbye

**Hello everyone!**

**I am so sorry that this has been so long in coming! Life has taken a turn for the worse recently, and now I am currently a cripple in a lot of pain, and on a lot of painkillers which - in a cruel fit of irony - have dulled my abilities to read and write.**

**I apologise now if the quality is not exactly the same standards as the previous chapters; I have given this as much as I can give it at the moment! **

**As always, please review! Constructive criticism is always welcome!**

**Also, some good news! All of the last chapters have been finished, and will be uploaded over the next couple of weeks. I aim to have the rewrites done by Christmas too, so my gift to you all is the best story I can give you (and believe me, I have not put this much effort into anything in a long, long time!)**

**So, without further ado...**

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

Frank could still hear Ben and Claire's voices echoing in his mind, even against the loud hum of the lift. He placed his hand into his pocket, clutching the paper he found there. Still groggy from the night before, he found himself faced with decisions he had hopes could wait for a less hungover day...

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Hungover or not, we really need to make a decision about this." Claire insisted.

Frank cradled his coffee mug, trying as hard as he could to avoid the light beaming through the windows. He looked up gingerly at Claire and Ben, decided the light behind them hurt too much, and stared at the floor.

"Fine," He murmured. "What do you two think?"

"I don't think there's a decision to make, dad," Ben stated. "We can't go _home_."

"But we can go back to the 21st century," Claire replied. "We can start over; live our lives as we want."

"It wouldn't be home, though!" Ben protested.

"We can make it home," Claire said. "A better home than we ever have had."

Frank remained still, listening attentively as he sat thinking. He thought of the friends he would leave behind, the adventures they had had, the _promise _of a life here...

"Maybe we already are home." He murmured.

He looked up, bearing the pain of the light to look Claire and Ben in the eyes. They sat there, attention fully placed on him. Finally looking into their eyes, he knew he had said something they all were thinking.

"Maybe," He continued. "Maybe, this was meant to happen. Maybe this is where we belong."

Claire cocked her head, shooting him a curious smirk.

"Since when did you begin to believe in fate."

He chuckled,

"About the same time I survived falling off a cliff for the second time," He remarked. "So, what do you two think?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The wind blew gently over the rooftop of the base, sending a shiver up Frank's spine. He welcomed it after the hot, claustrophobic meeting that - even an hour after he had left the hangar bay - was still in the process of dispersing. He looked down from his lofty perch, cherishing the disconnectedness it gave him; the ambient noise of several thousand people had dimmed into distant whispers as it progressed upwards. He scanned his surroundings, willing it to be empty. It surprised him to spot several heavy-duty fixed weapon batteries, a service shaft placed directly beside the stairwell he had climbed up, and even a _corpse _that had long since lost anything that wasn't bone or cloth. But, other than that, he smiled; he was alone for the first time in...

_In so long you can't remember, _he mused.

Tentatively, he slipped two items out of his jacket, and immediately set to re-assembling one of them. As he pieced the dictaphone back together, he glanced over at the other object: several sheets of paper, freshly printed. He let out a chuckle,

_Trust the UN to have the minutes of a meeting that has barely ended already printed._

Several moments had passed before the dictaphone's screen flickered to life. He smiled at the device, satisfied his efforts had not been in vain. He promptly slipped it back into his pocket, switching his complete attention to the minutes. As he read, his memory filled in all the actions, motions and _feelings _that a mere recounting always failed to convey...

-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank followed tentatively in the wake of Manny as the mammoth carved a path for them through the amassed throngs of animals. All of them had gathered for one thing only; Sam had promised them _all _- not just the herds - an explanation of what had happened, why, and what next.

He wished he held the same eager excitement he sensed in the animals around him, but his body was in no mood to humour him. He had awoken in a hallway with a throbbing head, sensitive stomach, pained ears and a more-than-questionable grasp of balance.

As he focused all of his attention on keeping pace with Manny, he vowed to himself never to drink so much ever again.

_Hah, a likely story, _his mind shot back sarcastically.

Before he knew it, the crowds lessened. Frank managed to move forward, now walking alongside Manny. He looked up, only then seeing that the two herds sat beside the time machine, with a conspicuous gap in their ranks existing between Claire - who gave them a warm smile - and Diego, who greeted them with a smug grin.

"Good morning!" He said loudly - too loudly for Frank's comfort. "How did you two sleep?"

Frank glared at Diego, noting how the sabre showed absolutely _no _ill effects from the night before. He resented him for it.

"Good, thanks!" He replied, affecting a forced smile as he sat down beside Claire. He scanned the crowds, only just beginning to appreciate how _many _animals there were; all the trucks, till recently lined up in neat ranks, had seemingly disappeared, replaced with thousands upon thousands of animals. He could make out several loudspeakers placed at intervals across the fringes of the room. Frank suddenly wondered if Sam's definition of a 'meeting' was more akin to a press conference.

"Why can't you humans do anything _small?"_ Manny asked, smirking. "Your bases are huge; your disasters are huge...and, apparently, so are your meetings."

Frank chuckled,

"By human standards for meetings like _this _one, where the UN is involved, this is actually quite small," He replied.

The mammoth jerked his head towards him, mouth agape,

"What?"

Frank opened his mouth to answer, but another voice - seemingly ubiquitous - filled the room, silencing everyone.

"Thank you for coming. I realise this might be a little early for some of you, so I will try to make this brief."

Both Frank and Manny turned to look forward, surprised by the presence of a podium they hadn't even noticed thus far. Frank studied the woman standing behind it, admiring the calm authority she exuded, the simple elegance of her attire, the seemingly piercing stare she now had...

Frank had never seen his sister so composed before, let-alone looking so comfortable in such a visible spot. Just beyond her, he could make out Terry and Hudson - both in full dress uniform - standing alongside a small desk. He peered at the desk, realising that another woman, also uniformed, was wildly typing away.

Sam's voice once more echoed in the room, pulling his attention to her,

"In light of all that has happened, the first thing I wish to do is thank you," She said calmly. "Were it not for your actions just over two weeks ago, I would not be standing here today. So I thank you, on behalf of your children and all their descendants, from the bottom of our hearts. I do not exaggerate when I say your actions are remembered even thousands of years from now,"

She paused to scan the room, as if trying to look everyone in the eye.

"I know this, because I - and the many who stand beside you that wear the insignia of the UNTC - _are_ fromthousands of years from now."

The entire hangar bay exploded into a wall of noise as excited chatter mingled with exclamations, gasps and countless other responses that Frank could not hear.

Manny grunted beside him,

"Seems no one told them about time travel before now."

Sam raised her hand calmly, beckoning for silence. Slowly, the cacophony of voices dimmed into mere ambient noise.

"I realise this is hard to accept, and I do not expect you to believe it, though doing so will help you understand what I am about to say."

Frank watched as she bowed her head slightly and close her eyes, as if gathering her thoughts together.

_Or praying, _he thought.

Mere seconds later, she looked up, took a deep breath, and spoke.

"Three months ago, a human expedition through time arrived in...difficult circumstances...from their time twenty thousand years from now, into yours. Their very arrival, regardless of their actions, altered the course of history. All of you who are present can attest to countless hardships and atrocities that have happened in this era: destruction and devastation caused by invading humans, all armed with technology you could not oppose. Even the base we are sitting in, already rapidly becoming a symbol of your victory, is in fact a testament to the disasters that have been happening in your lands. Many of you, listening to this, are thinking we have brought these disasters upon you..."

Frank, Manny and Diego exchanged nervous glances as they saw hundreds - possibly thousands - of angry stares aimed at them.

"...but it is not so. The disasters that had befallen you were not because of the expedition being present...but rather, because they had never made it home. Everything you see around you, and have experienced in your pasts, resulted from the expedition being killed here, and not returning to usher in a new era. As the expedition - and the herd that took us in - fled from Soto and headed north, we found traces of another force at work. This unseen force had, likewise, come from your future, but their intent was not to build up, but to destroy. Through their actions, the sabre known as Soto was rescued from his fate over ten years ago, and knowingly allowed himself to be used as their pawn. In doing so, they laid a trap for the herd now sitting beside me, intent on killing them here at Fort Halstead."

She paused briefly. The silence in the hangar was almost deafening.

"My friends," She said into the microphone. "I am saddened to say that they succeeded. Beside me is not one herd, but two. They are the same people, with the same pasts to an extent, with the sole difference that one of those herds fought here and _lost_. The base was destroyed, Soto was defeated, but many of you present were killed in the battle. Likewise, half their herd - and part of the expedition - had also been killed. The survivors, knowing they had the capacity to return and change the outcome of events, did so. The results speak volumes, for you are all alive, having spent the last two weeks celebrating your victory."

Whether from incredulity or sheer shock at being informed of their prior demise, the entire hangar remained silent.

"The truth of the matter is this," Sam said firmly. "This battle was _never_ meant to happen; it was forced upon us by the plans of this unseen force. The presence of James Hudson in your time - whom some of you recognise as having been at the forefront of your attempts to drive the humans from the Meltdown Valley - is proof of this; he was sent, at my request, to aid the herd."

"How could he come from a time that didn't exist?" It surprised Frank to hear a voice shouting out. He was more surprised to realise it was his _own._

Sam turned, stared directly at him, and smiled,

"Probability," She replied. "Or causality, if you wish. The arrival of the expedition into this era altered the course of the events of history; our very _presence_ here made the prospects of a future where humanity and all races of animals work together the most probable one. Hence why James was present. It was only when the 'forces unseen' altered the course of events that made our timeline improbable."

"But _how_ could he still exist when your future didn't?" Frank insisted.

Sam nodded, a knowing smile painted on her face,

"There is much we have yet to understand about time travel, but this is not the same as _knowing_ it," She replied, "One thing we do know is that time travel technology, in the process of transiting people from one point to another, creates fields we have identified as anti-entropic, and all who travel through it are imbued with certain...side-effects...of having passed through that field. In this case, it was those side-effects that ensured that James was not erased from the timeline when his future ceased to be the most probable."

"What was meant to happen, then?" A voice from the crowd shouted out.

"A golden age," Sam said. "The beginning of a relationship between humanity and all other races. Thankfully, this will still happen - were it not, as I said, I would not be here - but the unseen forces that very nearly derailed it will try again to destroy what has begun here."

"Who are they?" Another voice asked. "These unseen forces, I mean."

Sam sighed, as if wishing the question hadn't been asked.

"If we knew who they were, there would be no problem, as we would have stopped them," She said quietly. "What we do know of them, though little, is this: they can travel through time, as we do. They also seem to come from the future you have here created, though we are not certain as to _how_ or _why. _Above all else, we know they have tried to kill every single person in this room, and will try to do so again..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

A distant whirring behind Frank dragged him out of his memories. He looked behind him, only to find the rooftop still empty. Content in the knowledge that he was still alone, and kept reading:

Member of crowd: Can you at least tell us what are they called?

Sec-Gen. Sam. Daniels: They have called themselves by the name 'The Remnant.' Unfortunately, their ability to remain hidden has meant that this is virtually _all _we know of them. I am sorry it is so little to go on, but they have been eluding us throughout time.

Manfred (1st iteration): Who is 'we' exactly? Who are you?

Sec-Gen. Sam. Daniels: We are the United Nations Temporal Commission. After some of the expedition members returned, it was promptly founded by the United Nations in order to maintain the stability and integrity of the timeline, and to ensure that the best possible timeline would exist. We are the guardians, as it were, of time.

Diego (2nd iteration): That's great and all, but how is that possible? Everything we found suggested that the rest of time had been wiped out. With all due respect, Sam, you shouldn't exist.

Sec-Gen. Sam. Daniels: True enough. What you say is correct. Much of history was destroyed, but the only reason the war that destroyed everything even happened was predicated on the expedition dying, and thus not returning. Even just the return of myself, Nigel Lawes, Terrence Daniels and Charles Hendrickson - just over half of the expedition - altered history. Every event based on our non-return, including - I must add - everything everyone present remembers, did not technically happen. Even the timeline the expedition came from has, barring those few members from it, ceased to exist; when we returned to our time, we returned to a timeline based on the one you have begun. Nothing we remember technically happened.

Member of crowd: How is that possible?

Sec-Gen. Sam. Daniels: Once again, the anti-entropic fields created by time travel, enabled by things such as the time machine currently behind me, protected all within two miles of it from being altered when the timeline was. Everything beyond that has transformed: for example, the atrocities in the Meltdown Valley - and countless other places - did. Not. Happen. The humans did not arrive, Fort Columbus was not built, and thousands of animals were not killed. It is only because of the field that this base even still exists; the people who built this base never came here, and the circumstances that caused it to be built never happened, because it was predicated on the expedition's non-return. I assure you, the world beyond is brighter, happier, and more joyous than you have ever experienced.

Member of crowd: Can you tell us what this world is like now?

Sec-Gen. Sam. Daniels: I can tell you that you are now seated on the northernmost border of a land known as the Bredelands. It is a land where-

Whirring noises from behind him snapped Frank once more out of his reading. As the whirring ground to a halt, he realised what he was hearing. He turned around to stare at the lift, surprised to find Manny squeezing himself out of it.

"How did you know I was up here?" He asked.

Manny shrugged,

"You really think you're so far up that we can't just _see _you?" He replied. The mammoth scanned the rooftop with interest, eventually returning his gaze to Frank. "What are you doing up here anyway?"

He lifted the sheet of paper, giving Manny a smirk,

"I'm reading the minutes from the meeting."

"The what?"

Frank chuckled,

"It's a written record of everything that was said."

Manny cocked his head, but remained silent. Slowly, he sidled along Frank, shuffling himself onto the ground. Firmly seated, he looked again at Frank,

"Why are you reading it?" He asked.

Frank's faint smile weakened further into a frown. He turned away from the mammoth, looked back down at the hangar bay, the floods leaving the building now reduced to a mere trickle of people.

"I wanted to reread the parts about the Remnant," He murmured quietly, as if to himself.

"Why?" Manny pressed. "I thought we beat them! Soto's dead, after all."

"Soto was their _pawn_," Frank snapped back. "Nothing more."

He pulled out the dictaphone, fumbling with it in his hands. He could never forget the voices he heard on it; desperate, alone, _dying..._

_Because of me, _He thought. _Because of my invention._

He let out a long, bitter sigh,

"They haven't been beaten," He mussitated. He looked at Manny, holding the dictaphone up. "These events could still happen."

Manny visibly slumped,

"So, they're still around," He murmured. "Which means they will come back."

Frank hated the thought. He wished it truly was _just _Soto; at least Soto could be quantified and evaluated...

The fact that particular sabre lay buried out on the plains beyond the northern gate intensified the wish.

"How the hell can we fight something we can't even _see_?" He muttered. He snatched his eyes away from the dictaphone and stared into Manny's, almost hoping to find an answer there.

"Maybe we don't have to," Manny reasoned. "After all, why would they care about our herd?"

"They tried to kill us," Frank retorted. "Set up an elaborate trap to kill us..._did _kill us once. No," He said fervently. "They will try again. And we will have to be ready for it."

-x-x-x-x-x-

_We._

Even through the meeting, the question that Sam, Terry and Hudson had raised the night before lingered with him. The more he thought on it, the more he realised how he felt that Frank, Claire and Ben were a part of the herd in a way that the others - not even Hudson - could be. _They _were the ones who they had saved, and been saved by, much as _they_ were the ones whom the herd had genuinely welcomed in. Whilst he was ok with Terry, Nigel and Charlie leaving - and somewhat sad that Sam and Hudson would be too - the thought of Frank, Claire and Ben going left him deeply unsettled.

He looked at the human, desirous to be sure that Frank meant what Manny thought he did.

"So, you're gonna stay?" He asked, trying and failing to keep the hopefulness out of his voice.

Frank looked at him oddly,

"Of course we are," He replied. "Why wouldn't we?"

Manny tore his gaze away from the human, focussing on the tiny specks that shuffled on the ground far below.

"I don't know," He murmured. "I was worried that, since everything we needed to solve has been solved, well... you would go home..."

He could hear Frank chuckle beside him,

"You mean go home to a timeline we've never lived in?" He replied. "And slip into a life that isn't our own?"

Manny could feel his skin redden under his fur,

"I don't know," He muttered. "It's just..."

He cut himself off as he felt something rest firmly on his fur. Compelled, he turned around, only to find that Frank had repositioned himself, now leaning on the mammoth, staring ahead.

"Manny," He said. "We can't go back to _our_ time - and even if we could, we wouldn't. I know Claire and Ben don't want to go with Sam, regardless of how shiny and happy the future is now... and yes, we've discussed it. We figured out pretty quickly that we all feel the same way," He craned his head, smiling at Manny. "_This_ time is our home now. With all of you. If you're happy for us to stay, then nothing would make us happier than to be a part of the herd."

The sheer relief of hearing those words exploded out of him, to the point where Manny couldn't quite tell what he was doing. Returning to his senses, he suddenly found his trunk wrapped around the human. Judging by the look he saw on Frank's face, it was a tight one too.

"Good..._God_...Manny!" He wheezed. "Would...like to..._breathe_!"

Embarrassed, he quickly released him from his grasp. Frank very nearly collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

"I'm sorry," Manny said sheepishly. "Not sure what came over me."

Frank grinned between his gasps,

"I'll...just assume...you're happy...with our...decision."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Within hours of the meeting's end, the first wave of animals started to leave, headed south into a world they didn't know. At first it was a trickle - small groups of friends and families - but, by mid afternoon, it had turned into a flood. Both herds stood by the gate, saying goodbye to as many as they could. Amongst the seemingly endless goodbyes Manny looked south, through the Pass and onto the lands that lay beyond. He wondered what the leaders of the Bredelands would make of such a migration, let-alone the stories they would tell...

He paused in his idle thoughts, pondering the notion. It still boggled him that his _homeland_ - the land he had grown up in, lived in, _loved _in...and, when his love died, left - could be as different as Sam has said it was. It confused him further that his herd...most of all, _himself..._had been specifically requested to stay away from it for several _years_.

_Years. Why years? _He thought. He couldn't find an answer.

If he were honest, he was still confused at just how _different_ his entire life had become in the span of only three months.

His thoughts preoccupied, he turned his attention back to the leaving masses, bidding them all farewell, even as he hoped to see some of them again someday.

-x-x-x-x-x-

By the time the sun had disappeared behind the complex, the base had all but fallen silent. Exhausted by their goodbyes, everyone except Manny had retreated into the complex. Now alone, Manny walked through the base's courtyard, trying to imagine the seemingly abandoned space as the overflowing, vibrant place it had been just hours before.

He couldn't.

He let out a sigh; his eyes flickering upwards at the only lights still on, knowing both the herds were up there. But somehow, even knowing people were still present didn't allay the sense of forlorn emptiness the base exuded. The wind picked up, sending a chill up his spine. It sighed and howled as it blew through every nook and cranny. Manny listened; for a brief moment, he almost fancied it was the base itself making the noise, crying out for those who had left it, for the celebrations that it might never host again.

Several flashes of brilliant white light emanated from the hangar bay, snapping him out of his reverie. Cautiously, he walked towards its entrance to peer in. Within seconds, he jumped back, only narrowly avoiding the mass of people - all uniformed - flooding out. His stare followed the newly-arrived people, still amazed at the manifold species he could see amongst them; even after all of Sam and Hudson's rhetoric, he still expected mostly humans. Apparently unfazed by the presence of a mammoth, they paid him no heed, all of them flooding into the complex through its entry shafts, stairwells and lifts.

"What the..." He murmured in confusion.

"They're here to remove the technology."

He spun round to find Sam standing there, smiling wearily at him. The strong, confident woman he had witnessed that morning had seemingly evaporated, a tired and stretched woman having taken her place. He furrowed his brow in concern,

"Sam, are you ok?" He asked.

She affected a smile he knew to be fake,

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you," She replied. "Just have something on my mind...it's good to see you again, Manny. It's been a while."

He looked at her as if she were insane.

"You saw me this morning," He said flatly. "At the meeting, remember?"

She gave him a quirky smile,

"Ah yes, of course...except, for me, that was six months ago." She replied quietly.

"What?" He mustered.

She chuckled,

"I know it's odd," She stated. "But it's something you have to get used to when time is no longer a _linear_ concept."

Manny opened his mouth to speak, but found no words to say; his mind, protesting at the _lack _of things that made sense, had gone utterly blank. He stood there in silence, knowing he needed to say something. _Anything. _Even if it was to talk about the weather.

"So, why have you been gone for six months?" He finally said, pondering the sheer insanity of such a sentence.

_I just saw you this morning!_ He protested mentally.

"The Commission has finally agreed on what to do with this base, and have decided to remove _most_ of the technology," She said. "By the time they're done, only the gates will have anything technical about them. The base, however, is going to stay."

Manny cocked his head in surprise,

"You mean you're leaving the base here?" He quizzed. "Why?"

She shrugged,

"I wasn't using empty words when I said _this_ place," She made a gesture, encompassing the whole base. "Would become a symbol of victory someday soon...trust me, there will come a time when you will be _grateful_ we left it. The Commission weighed up all the variables, and concluded that keeping the base here was the right course of action."

He nodded, unsure of what exactly she meant,

"Okay," He said slowly. "And that took six months to decide because..."

"Because decisions seem impervious to time travel," She replied ruefully. "The UN, even with time travel, is still the UN...which, as I gather, means taking as long as possible to debate every. Little. Detail. Sometimes repeatedly."

"Sounds boring." Manny remarked.

Sam broke into a sincere laugh,

"It is," She agreed. "Time travel itself is fun...overseeing time travel, not so much."

She checked her watch. In a flash, her smile had switched into a frown. Once more, a weary and harried face looked back at Manny,

"Do you know where everyone else is?"

Manny pointed his trunk upwards, aimed vaguely at the command centre,

"Up there," He replied.

"Could you get them for me? Both herds, that is...oh and tell them to bring everything they want to take with them."

The request struck Manny as odd. He looked at her intently,

"Why?"

She smiled weakly,

"You were all the first to get here...and now, you will be among the last to leave. It's time to go _home_. Meet me by the time machine in thirty minutes."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Manny trailed behind the two herds, walking alongside Frank in relative silence. He knew he should be visibly excited about returning home - and, deep down, he really was - but he found himself feeling a tinge of sadness about leaving the base.

Granted, much had happened there that had very nearly killed them, but it had also - for two wonderful weeks - been the setting for more joy and happiness than Manny had experienced in a group before. As they reached the hangar bay doors, he turned to look at the towering complex behind him. Even though his heart told him he would see it again, he suspected it would never be as cheerful as it had been the last two weeks.

He suspected, with the Remnant still at large, that nothing ever again in his life _could_ be.

"Manny!" Frank called out from within the hangar. "What's taking you so long?"

"Just coming!" He called back.

He took one last glance at the building before him, still being emptied of its technological guts even as he looked on. With a sigh, he tore himself from the sight, and walked into the hangar.

Moving across the cavernous space, his eyes immediately darted past the herds, Hudson and even Sam, fixing on a face he hadn't seen before. He studied the new person keenly; human, male, tall by human standards, well built to the point of being comparative to Terry. The uniform informed Manny that he was UNTC. The scowl affixed on his face told him that the human wasn't pleased to be there.

Having reached the rest of the herd, he pointed his trunk at the human, looking squarely at Sam,

"Who's the new guy?" He said brusquely.

Sam smiled,

"This is Commissioner-General Cartwright," She replied. "He is one of the thirty commissioners that oversee the UNTC."

"I thought _you _oversee the Commission?" Frank quizzed.

"Not much of a Commission if there's a council of one," Sam replied, smirking. "And, before you ask why such a high ranking member is here, it is because he has been tasked with taking one of your herds with him."

Manny could see the surprised looks all around him, knowing full well his expression was the same. Diego - his herd's Diego - stepped forward,

"I assumed we would stay together," He stated. "You yourself suggested it two weeks ago...so what's changed?"

The smile vanished from Sam's face, replaced with the same weariness Manny had seen not long before. The hairs stood on the back of his neck as he saw the concerned glances flash between Sam, Hudson and Cartwright. She let out a sigh, trying to look everyone in the eye.

"There's been a development," She murmured. "The Remnant have issued another threat. They actually mentioned _your_ herd,"

Manny followed her line of sight, gasping as his eyes fell upon his counterpart. Manfred scowled,

"What about our herd?" He murmured.

"They have threatened to 'finish what Soto began'," Sam replied quietly. "Given their actions here we have to take them at their word. You are in danger. We cannot risk both herds being in the same place and time given the threat. I'm sorry - really, I am - but it means we need to take your herd into protection."

Suddenly, without warning, Terrence let out a scream of anger, his arms waving about in fury.

"Goddamit! The gorramed bastards ain't satisfied with just killin' half of us?" He yelled. "Now they have to go threatenin' us all over again? Goddamit, Sam! They're just pissed we beat their little trap. We beat 'em once, we can beat 'em again!"

Sam nodded calmly,

"I suspect that's the reason behind it," She agreed. "But that doesn't change the fact that your victory over them cost you half your herd, and that level of loss is something the Commission cannot sanction; we need to take you into protection."

Manfred moved towards Sam angrily, his trunk almost pressed against her face. Manny mentally prepared himself to dive forwards, just in case it escalated. In the corner of his eye he could see Frank grip the hilt of his sword and both iterations of Diego poised to pounce on the mammoth. It surprised him that somehow, in mere moments, the mood had soured to such a point where everyone expected it to come to blows. Manfred stared into Sam's eyes for several moments in silence. Manny, looking on from afar, wondered what his counterpart was thinking, willing him to hold back.

"Can you protect us?" Manfred finally growled.

Sam straightened out, staring firmly back at the mammoth,

"Yes we can."

"Even against the Remnant?" He pressed. "A force you yourself said this morning you didn't know much about?"

"I promise you that the UNTC, and myself, will do all in its power to keep your herd safe." She replied.

Both remained in a silent staring contest for several moments, leaving the rest of the room in a lurch as to what would happen next. Finally, Manfred pulled away.

"Alright," He stated. "We're gonna trust you on this."

Everybody visibly relaxed, relieved at the non-violent outcome of the situation. Without a word, Sam moved towards the computer console and began typing. The time machine whirred to life, its central disc grinding out of its stillness, its pace building until it spun wildly. Suddenly, the whining stopped, a portal flickering into existence in front of them.

Manny had never seen a time portal before; his only experience with time travel had been with a defective machine.

_The same machine, _he mentally added.

He stared at the portal, utterly unprepared for how dazzlingly beautiful it was. Its surface resembled silvery water, rippling gently. Manny thought it resembled a pond, suspended mid-air on its side.

With his eyes still fixed on the portal, he sensed rather than saw someone approach him. He snatched his eyes away, blinking as his counterpart stood in front of him. Manfred smiled, extending his trunk.

"I guess this is it." He murmured.

Like a flood, the whole situation hit him: he was saying _goodbye._ Manny fought back the tears as he clasped his counterparts trunk with his, returning the smile.

"I guess so," He said. He paused, searching for words to say. "Thank you. For everything."

Manfred nodded in gratitude,

"You would have done the same for us." He said, smiling.

Manny returned the smile,

"Take care of yourselves," He said earnestly. "And, when you guys are no longer in danger, you will always be welcome in the valley."

He could see the tears welling in his counterparts' eyes.

"Thanks," He replied sincerely. "In which case, this is more of a 'see you later'...take care of them. Especially Sid. Trust me; I only realised how much I liked him _after_ he was gone. Don't make the same mistakes I did."

Before Manny could open his mouth to respond, his counterpart had already parted ways with him. He stepped through the portal, disappearing from sight. One by one, in seemingly rapid succession, they said goodbye to the members of the other herd.

Almost as soon as it had started, only Terrence remained of the herd. Having said his goodbyes, he turned towards the portal. From the corner of his eye, he could see Frank rushing forwards,

"Terry!" He called out. "Wait!"

Terrence turned, eyeing Frank with surprise,

"What is it, boss?" He asked.

Frank rummaged through his pockets, eventually pulling out a relatively small object. Manny stared at it, realising it was the dictaphone.

"A little something to remember us by," Frank said quietly.

Terrence took the object in his hands, his eyes wide with appreciation.

"Thanks, boss," He murmured.

"You're welcome," Frank replied. "Take care of yourself. And we _will _see you soon."

Terrence opened his mouth to speak, but seemingly thought better of it. He clasped the dictaphone tightly in one hand, shook Frank's hand with the other, and passed through.

Almost instantly, the portal winked out of existence; only the retinal echoes that Manny tried to blink away suggested what he saw had even happened. As he blinked, his face grew wet. He dabbed his face with his trunk, keen for those present to not see what had happened;

Of all the goodbyes they had said that day, saying goodbye to _himself _and the herd his other self led - the ones who had suffered and died, and _still _came back to save them -was the hardest.

"Goodbye." He whispered.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**My apologies to those who thought the half-herd were staying with the herd! I hope, in time, the following stories will reveal why I've done so :).**

**Did you enjoy it? Think some things could be improved? Want to ask questions? Then click that wonderful button below, and review!**

**Till 35, cheerio!**

**Trev**


	35. Ties of Blood and Water

**Hello everyone!**

**This is a chapter that, whilst I am proud of it, I am a little nervous to put up. Seeing as you have read this far, you know full well what I put the characters in these stories through...and this chapter is no different. I am truly, truly sorry to those who had dreams and visions of the two herds living together but, once this series of stories progresses, i hope you can someday understand the decision I have taken in this chapter.**

**Please read and review, as always. Please make any constructive criticism actually **_**constructive**_**, namely, positive in it's delivery! **

**On a lighter note, this story is, technically, finished; the last chapter has been written up and beta'd, thus is just awaiting me to finish writing up the rewrites for some earlier chapters! (Speaking of which, chapters 8-11 are all shiny and new!). And, some more good news; Yesterday's Child is currently being written! Chapters 1 and 2 should be ready to go as soon as this story comes to a close :)**

**And now, without further ado, and yet another apology...**

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

_It is done._

The words echoed through his mind as they looked down at Fort Halstead's hangar bay from their lofty perch on the cliffs above. Hooded and cloaked, he knew they couldn't be seen from far below as the final rays of the sun's light vanished from the sky. It had been fascinating for him to watch the events unfolding about them, watching every move and action. He knew nothing could be achieved from merely standing there, and yet he did just that; he wanted to _see _the momentous events for himself...

_Events that will one day haunt them, _he mused, allowing himself a slight smile.

"Do you think they know the truth about what happened here?"

He turned his head to see his counterpart, garbed in the same clothing as he was. Yet, though hidden, he could still picture the look of annoyance - even anger - on her face as she spoke aloud.

He smiled slightly,

"Do_ you _think they do?" He asked.

His counterpart stood silent for a moment, as if contemplating.

"No," She finally admitted. "I do not."

He nodded in satisfaction with the answer,

"People normally do not see the evidence that is right before their eyes," He agreed. "But they will...and soon."

His counterpart turned in surprise. He could feel the inquisitive glare falling on him from unseen eyes.

"How is that possibl-" She stopped herself. "Of course. The humans."

He chuckled mirthlessly,

"The humans indeed," He replied. "Our plans for them are well underway, and you will be required in those plans, old friend. But before that, we must first ask your..._services..._in a certain matter."

His counterpart pulled back her hood, staring intensely at him. Even in the darkness he could see her aquiline features, strong jaw, cold eyes...

_A sabre of sabres, _he thought to himself.

She bowed slightly,

"I am at the council's will and command," She murmured, locking her eyes once more with his. "Tell me where to go and what to do, and it shall be done."

_Such loyalty, _he thought with relish.

"Very good," He replied quietly. "We need you to go into the very heart of evil. Into the heart of the UNTC itself."

She blinked in surprise, but quickly suppressed it.

"What does the council desire?" She asked.

He smiled broadly, knowing she wouldn't see it.

"Well, Cassie, my dear," He said. "The council wishes this from you..."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Stepping through the portal had been a new experience for Manfred; his two prior experiences had been with a faulty - or sabotaged, he could remember which - machine and a short range device. Both of them were instantaneous.

Neither of them had prepared him for the sensations he now felt.

Blinded by incandescent light, his senses turned to his other faculties, all of them screaming in confusion. Even though it lasted less than a split-second, he felt it all; as if every fibre of his being parted from one another, turned inside out, and then wholly reverted to their prior form.

It was all painless, but far from comfortable.

Suddenly, the relative silence of the hangar bay had given way to a wall of noise; thousands of voices mingling with the sounds of voices echoing out of loudspeakers, trucks and countless other sounds he couldn't place.

His other impression was how horrifyingly _hot _his new surroundings were.

He missed the comforting chill of the ice age in comparison to the realms of sweat-tanged heat that now assaulted his person.

His new world edged into focus as he blinked away the retinal echoes of the light, revealing concrete, metal, and a cavern larger than anything he had ever seen. In the corner of his eye he could see his herd - except for Lt. Hudson, he seemed elated - looking as stunned as he was, seemingly frozen to the ramp as their senses tried to everything in. Manfred glanced around him, observing all he saw;

Thousands of people - all in some form of uniform, but the manifold kinds and species caught Manfred utterly off guard - rushed about to and fro in the cavern. To his left, and his right, lay yet more time machines. His heart pounded against his ribcage; it was all too much, too quickly and completely without warning. He felt utterly unprepared for what he saw, and could feel the panic rising up in his as surely as the sweat forming rapidly on his brow.

"Welcome to UNTC HQ," Commissioner Cartwright stated, seemingly unfazed by the change in climate and busyness as he stepped off of the metal ramp, followed by Lt. Hudson. "This way please."

"Give us a minute!" Manfred snapped, freezing both Commissioner and wolf in mid stride.

Cartwright glanced at them all, sighing slightly as he did so.

"My apologies," He said. "I take it you weren't prepared for all this?"

"We weren't told anything about _this!_" Diego stated, gesturing towards the cavern around them. "Where are we? _When_ are we?"

"We're in London," Cartwright replied. "June twelfth, twenty sixty four AD, in a subterranean complex beneath the UNTC."

Manfred cocked his head in confusion at the meaningless pieces of information thrown at them.

"That's great and all, but how _far_ have we travelled?" He pressed.

"About twenty thousand years," The Commissioner stated casually. He gestured with his hands. "This way please."

Manfred shared an uncomfortable glance with his herd, swallowed hard, and followed Cartwright into the maelstrom of busyness, noise and heat.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank remained still, his eyes lingering on where the portal had been. No one had spoken for a long while as they tried to come to terms with the sudden realisation that the herd - the herd that had suffered, died, and yet _still _returned to face it all again so that they might live - had left them. He knew that it was only temporary - no one had said anything to the contrary - but the sense of _loss, _of not existing in the same time anymore - no matter for how long, or short a time it might be - was hard to grapple with...

A chill went up his spine; he knew it wasn't from the cold.

"I'm sorry it had to happen this way," Sam said, breaking the silence. "For security reasons we cannot let both herds be in the same point in space and time."

He turned to see the herd, noting the tears evident in all of their eyes. Manny looked up, his face wet,

"We...we know," He croaked. "It's just...Sam, will we see them again?"

"Once we can be sure of both herds' safety, then yes," She stated.

"What are you doing about out safety?" Sid murmured. "Are we gonna get sent off as well?"

Sam glanced at the sloth, shaking her head firmly.

"No," She replied. "You need to stay here. History demands _a _herd _has_ to be here."

Frank heard the qualification in her sentence. He emitted a grunt.

"_A _herd," He repeated. "You said _a _herd...not this herd, not our herd...but _a _herd."

She scowled at him,

"You know what I meant, Frank."

"I'm not sure I do," He commented.

She let out a sigh in annoyance,

"Look, what I meant was-"

She trailed off as the time machine behind them whirred into life. Frank jumped back, joining with the whole herd in staring at the device.

"Are you expecting someone?" Manny asked over the growing din.

"No," Sam replied. "There weren't any scheduled arrivals to this time last I checked."

Frank, Manny, Ellie, Claire, Hudson and Diego shared perturbed glances.

"I was worried you were going to say that," Frank murmured. "Everyone get ready!"

He unslung his rifle, training it on the rapidly forming portal. To his left and his right he sensed rather than saw the herd forming up, preparing to pounce on any potential threat that might come through. In the corner of his eye, he could see Sam - standing perfectly still - casting them a bemused look.

A man stepped through the portal, only to halt in shock at the sight of his welcoming party.

"Don't shoot!" Sam shouted. "He's one of ours!"

Frank let out the breath he had been holding in, hearing much of the rest of the herd do likewise. He lowered his rifle, quickly studying the man; short, skinny, glasses...

The man's expression - shocked even _after_ he had regained his composure - set Frank on edge.

"Report," Sam said flatly.

"Ma'am, there's been an incident," The man said hurriedly. "Regarding the-"

He stopped and stared at the herd, his expression registering confusion.

"Regarding _what_, private?" Sam said, urging him on.

"Regarding...ah..._them_, ma'am," He replied, gesturing at the herd. "Or rather, the party that came through with Commissioner Cartwright."

"What!" Manny exclaimed, moving angrily towards the man. "What happened?"

The man seemed to shrink as he stared into the angry mammoth's eyes,

"They managed to infiltrate HQ," He squeaked. "You...ah, _they_...are gone."

It took all of Frank's will to keep him upright. The very thought that the herd they had just left - the herd they hoped to see again - were gone...

_They fulfilled their threat..._

_They,_ he thought ruefully, realising full well who _they _were...who they must be. The only force it could have been.

"Remnant." He said aloud, his tongue feeling like lead in his mouth. (Goo

He felt Manny's stare fall on him. He looked up, seeing the same depth of horror, anguish and anger in the mammoth's eyes that he felt welling up in him. He returned the stare, hoping it's meaning was clear;

_We need to go, see for ourselves._

Manny craned his neck, giving the same stare to Diego. The sabre nodded.

Manny snapped back to the man, who jumped on the spot at the swift motion.

"Take us there," He said forcefully. "Now."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Manfred felt only relief as the Commissioner led them to the surface. Relief turned to wonder as they passed through several sets of doors, only to be confronted by an equally cavernous room, as bright and airy as the caverns below had been cramped and hot. What grabbed Manfred's attention almost immediately was the farthest wall, which was notable by its seeming absence. Cartwright turned to them and smiled slightly, making a gesture that encompassed the entire room.

"I thought you might like to see some of this place before I have to take you to one of the waiting rooms," He said calmly. "This part - that is, the part above ground - is the administrative side of the UNTC."

Manfred barely heard the Commissioner as he moved carefully across the room, almost afraid to damage it with his clumsy walking, edging closer to the wall-that-wasn't-there. With every step, it became more evident to him that he was staring at glass. He craned his neck up to the ceiling, his jaw hanging slack in awe.

_The whole wall is made of glass, _he repeated to himself.

"Funny," Terrence grunted beside him. "This place don't look much different from what I recall of the...what did you Brits call it?...the Shard?"

The Commissioner let out a chuckle,

"This place was known as that before it got its more recent name," He replied. "It has been more formally known as Gallifrey Tower for a generation."

"Ain't possible, boss," Terrence said gruffly. "Shard got blown up in the Troubles."

"The Troubles?" Cartwright said, evidently confused. Manfred turned, eyeing both the Commissioner and Terrence with interest.

"I'm sorry, Colonel Daniels, but this building is about thirty years too young to have been blown up by the IRA," Cartwright said, his tone conveying a slightly patronising hint.

Manfred shared a smile with Diego, enjoying the look of overjoyed shock that seeped onto Terrence's face.

"You mean it never happened?" Terrence said quickly. "All the riots and death and stuff that happened in the twenty-tens? None of it?"

"Riots and death?" Cartwright exclaimed. "I'm sorry Colonel, I have no idea what you are talking about. The twenty tens - from what i recall of history - were fairly uneventful for Britain."

"Ha-HA!" Terrence cried out in joy, punching the air in exuberance. "We did it, fellas! Goddamn, we actually _did _it!"

"We sure did," Manfred said, grinning. He turned to look at Lt. Hudson. "We helped create a brave, _new _world."

"One I hope you will get to enjoy, once this threat is resolved," The Commissioner stated. "Now, if you would please follow me, gentlemen, we need to get you into safety."

Even the sadness of leaving such a bright, airy room for what he reckoned would be dark and cramped didn't allay Manfred's grin;

They _had _done it. He couldn't be sure until he saw it with his eyes, but now he knew. He knew that there was a whole new world outside, brimming with people, waiting to be seen and experienced...

_I wish you were here, Ellie, _He thought. _You would have loved to see this._

As he passed out of the room into yet more hallways, tears welled in his eyes.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Sam stepped through the portal into a world of chaos. She shrugged off the discomfort of passing through to another time, marching forwards in determination even as she blinked away the retinal echo. Klaxons sounded around her, the Transport Chamber filled with red lights. Hundreds of soldiers ran in both directions, rushing to their posts. Ahead of her, she glimpsed Terry, grimly still against the backdrop of busyness. She glanced behind her to make sure the herd kept pace, and moved straight past her husband.

"Report!" She barked.

"The herd's gone, Sam," He said gruffly, matching her stride. "Waiting room thirty four is a mess,"

"Are you sure it's the Remnant?" She pressed.

"Affirmative," Terry replied. "No question about it; they left their calling card, as it were. We've shut down HQ; no one has gotten in or out since."

"Search parties?" She said. "Any sign found of them?"

Terry shook his head as he swiped his card, opening the doors ahead of them.

"Nothing beyond that room has been found," He stated. "Sam...we found _strong_ anti entropic fields in the room. Really strong."

Sam skidded to a halt, staring aghast at him.

"You mean they used a time machine?" She exclaimed.

"Ain't no doubt about it, Sam," He replied. "They could be anywhere, any_when, _by now."

_My God, _she thought. _My God._

Anger surged through her; anger at the situation, and herself. She had promised them safety - had _assured _them of it...

_This is not the time for self-doubt, _she snapped at herself.

"James!" She shouted, swerving on her heels to face the wolf. "Contact the other Commissioners, start searching for them; whatever you need to find them I will authorise. Finding the herd is now the highest priority of the UNTC."

"Yes ma'am!" Hudson said, rushing off ahead of them. She glanced upwards, seeing the disturbed faces of the herd. She felt the need to apologise, or at least give her word that they would be found...

_Not the time. _She reminded herself.

"Terry, show us," She stated. "Quickly."

He nodded, looked over her shoulder at the herd, and nodded again.

"This way." He shouted as he broke into a sprint.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Manfred paced around the room, studying their spartan surroundings for what felt like the thousandth time. He had built up a routine; stare at the clock, pace, stare at the grey concrete walls, paced some more, stare at the CCTV camera in the corner, kept pacing, making a continuous circuit around the tables and chairs around which the herd had slumped.

"Not sure these floors are designed to withstand such fierce pacing, boss," Terrence replied wearily.

"Not like they've given 'im - or us - much else to do," Buckminster grumbled. "Where tha 'eck 'ave they gone? We've been 'ere fer ages!"

"I'm sure they haven't forgotten about us," Manfred replied, suppressing his own qualms as to their lateness. "My guess is that they're busy..."

"Cut the crap, will ya Manny? It ain't like were some tourists visiting; we _saved_ their sorry asses, boss!" Terrence said. "This ain't how you treat heroes!"

Manfred slowed to a stop, scanning his herd keenly; though silent, he could sense the unspoken murmur of agreement emanating from Charles, Lt. Hudson, Diego, Marcus and Benjamin with the sentiments expressed. He smiled weakly, knowing full well he shared them.

_We sacrificed too much to be left in this...cell, _he thought acridly.

"Guys, I-"

He cut himself off, his gaze immediately attracted to the CCTV camera. For what felt like an eternity, it had stared passively at them. Yet, even as he watched it, it slumped downwards, is if giving up its will to stare.

"What?" He murmured in surprise.

The door creaked open, its noise jarring in the relative silence of the room. Relief flooded through Manfred as he made out the face of Commissioner Cartwright. Relief turned to bewilderment as his whole body came into view, revealing him to be draped in a single, black mantle.

"Commissioner?" He asked unsurely.

Cartwright remained silent, closing - and locking - the door behind him.

"You can imagine our annoyance when we found out you survived our little plot," He said coolly, his back still facing them. "We had hoped you would die in that hellhole of a base; in fact, we had _counted_ on it."

"What?" Was all Manfred could muster, his mind reeling at the Commissioner's words.

Cartwright chuckled cruelly. He slowly turned, levelling a cold glare at the herd.

"Contrary to whatever that old hag of a Secretary General says," He continued. "Some of us have realised that history has no need of the '_guardians_'," He bared his teeth. "Of you."

As he spoke, Manfred's confusion morphed into anger and rage. He stepped forward angrily, glaring at the self-confessed murderer of his family. He thought of all the people they had cremated, all the losses they had faced...

He had hoped to meet the author of such atrocities. He hadn't expected to meet him so quickly, however, nor in the company of who he had believed - foolishly, he realised – to be friends.

"You planned it," He growled at the commissioner. "You were the one who trapped us, tried to kill us..._you."_

Cartwright said nothing, teeth still bared.

The herd rose out of their seats, all of them wearing the expression of pure, enraged betrayal.

"How dare you!" Terrence bellowed. "You tried to murder us! You murdered my Sam! Frank! All those people...you murdered them all! You piece of goddamned crap, I'll kill you for what you've done!"

Terrence pounced forward, hands outstretched in the hopes of strangling the man. In a swift motion, Cartwright drew a sword, pointing it squarely at Terrence's lunging form. Panicked, Manfred extended his trunk, jaggedly hauling Terrence back. He barely caught him in time, stopping the human mere millimetres from the tip of the blade before throwing him back to relative safety.

"Yes, I did," Cartwright replied coolly. "And I would do so again. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few...the game has to stop; sacrifices must be made to save all of time...even if those sacrifices are the much lauded guardians. But your story, my friends, is at an end," He pulled a cape over his head, concealing his face. "Any final words?"

Manfred took a step back, grabbing Peaches into his trunk fearfully. He felt betrayed; betrayed by people he thought he could trust. Betrayed by Sam, by the other herd, by the entire world that they had saved.

He clamped his eyes shut, hugging his daughter fiercely.

_This isn't how it should end, _he thought wildly. _We saved him! All of them!_

"It's gonna be ok, Peaches," He whispered aloud. "It's going to be ok..."

Moments later, screaming filled the room.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Frank roared, wielding his rifle in his hand.

Countless people jumped out of their path as soon as saw the source of the commotion, saving themselves from being crushed by the mass of people running their way. He skidded around a corner, following Terry, narrowly avoiding slamming into Manny as he did the same. Onwards they charged, winding through seemingly endless corridors until Terry finally came to an abrupt halt. Only through sheer luck had they managed to stop themselves in time. Frank quickly scanned their surroundings, noting immediately that the door has been shattered from the outside.

_The door was locked? _He thought in puzzlement. _Why?_

Diego and Sam skirted forwards, wending their way past Terry to look in. The sabre grimaced as Sam closed her eyes, her entire frame visibly shaking from rage.

"Keep Ben, Mark and Peaches back," He said sombrely. He looked up at them, angry tears glistening on his cheek. "We don't want them to see this."

Frank and Manny shared a nervous glance. They stepped forward ambivalently, suddenly unwilling to face witnessing the room. Frank took several deep breaths, finally plucking up the courage to look inside.

He wished he hadn't.

"Oh God," He exclaimed in shock as he surveying the room.

The entire room was spattered in blood, its spartan furnishings laying shattered across the ground. In the largest pool of blood - directly by the door, Frank noted - lay a shredded black cloak.

"What is _that?" _Manny gasped, pointing his trunk towards the farthest wall.

Frank followed his gesturing. His heart skipped a beat, then thundered in his chest. Words had been scrawled across the wall.

He knew from its colouring that it also was blood.

"They're words, boss," Terry murmured quietly. "They say; 'We will rise again.'"

Hot tears dripped down Frank's face.

"This isn't fair!" He growled. "None of this...they were _heroes!_ They deserved more than..._this."_

"Much more," Sam agreed. "And they will get it. We will find them, Frank, and we will make the ones who did this pay for what they have done."

Manny turned, giving Sam a questioning stare.

"You said you would protect them," He muttered. "How can you promise anything if you couldn't even protect them?"

"We didn't know the Remnant had the capacity to even get _near_, let alone _infiltrate_, the UNTC," She replied fiercely. "Until this incident, we couldn't even empirically _confirm_ that they had time travel technology, even with the incident at Halstead Pass at our disposal...but they made a grave mistake doing this; we _will _hunt them down to whatever hellhole in whatever time they are hiding with every means we have at our disposal. Of that you have my word.."

"But-" Manny protested.

Frank stretched out his hand, placing it firmly on Manny's tusk. The mammoth's eyes met his,

"This isn't Sam's fault," He said waveringly. "She cared for them just as much as we did...they saved _her_ too, Manny. She will do all that is in her power to find them," He glanced at Sam. "I know she will."

She straightened out, levelling her resolute stare at every member of the herd.

"We will find them," She said calmly. "And we will make the Remnant pay _dearly_ for this."

Manny stared several moments at her, probing her with his gaze.

"Good," He finally replied. "When you find them, let us know...we'd like to make them pay dearly for this too."

She gave him a smile with no warmth in it,

"You can have my word on that too," She said. She took in a sharp intake of breath. "I'm sorry, but this incident has changed our plans...you're still going to go back now, but the discussions and explanations I promised you will have to wait. I'm sorry, but don't argue about this," She stated, cutting off the many complaints rising up with a swift motion of her hand. "Because you have no choice; we need to get you back to your time now, so we can focus our efforts on...this."

Manny opened his mouth to argue, but promptly clamped it shut.

"All right," He grumbled. He turned, looking all of the herd in the eyes.

"I guess we can't argue with the secretary general," He muttered. "So let's...go home."

"Home to _what?" _Ellie spoke up. "If even half of what we've been told over the last few weeks is true, then our entire world is different!"

Sam nodded,

"True," She conceded. "But the village is still there."

"And? The herd that should be enjoying it with us won't be," Ellie retorted, tears welling in her eyes.

Manny curled his trunk around her, hugging her closely to him. He glanced at Frank, revealing wells of pain within his eyes. He sighed, slinging his rifle onto his back as he took one last glance at the blood stained room.

"Then we make a village they would be proud of," He murmured. "One that - wherever they've gone to now - they can look down on and be proud to have saved," He returned Manny's gaze. "Make sure their sacrifice wasn't in vain."

Silent nods greeted his words; silent not because they disapproved - Frank knew that wouldn't be the case - but because it hurt that their first days of freedom would be in mourning. He closed his eyes, willing against his own opinions that, if they were dead - wherever they may be - they were at peace.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

50,000BC

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

After the bright flash of light that always seemed to accompany time travel, he had found himself in a whole new world, utterly alien from what he was used to. And extremely _cold_.

The winds tore through the desolate landscape, chilling his fur even through all the protective layers he had on. Everywhere he looked, the scenery was the same; ice, snow...

_Cold, _he thought, _so very cold._

Unwilling to spend more time than was necessary in such a God-forsaken region, he pressed his mittened paw to his ear and switched on his radio.

"This is Colonel Hudson reporting in," He said. "Colonel Hudson to the forensics team. Have you found anything?"

He already hated the place, even after being there for mere seconds. He knew the trail of the investigation had led them there, and the very fact that the cold frozen wastes around him were potentially the last thing _they_ saw shot a pang of anger through his chest...

_They, _he thought acridly. _You mean us. Me._

_"Colonel Hudson," _His radio chimed, cutting through his thoughts. "_Colonel Hudson, come in please."_

He pressed his paw to his ear, eyes still fixed on the glacial landscape.

"Hudson here," He muttered. "Have you found them?"

He prayed to God they hadn't; to have gone through so much, to have faced Soto _twice, _to have lost half their herd in the process...

_Only to die here? _He thought. He shuddered at the cruelty of it.

_"Yes sir," _His radio sputtered. _"I'm afraid we have."_

He shut his eyes, whispering a silent prayer for them. A chill, not from the cold, had crept into his bones as the truth he wished was false became all too real;

He was standing near the graves of the herd. Of Manny, Terry, Charlie, Buck, Peaches, Ben, Diego, Mark and another Hudson. The nine who had suffered and watched as the rest of their herd died, only to go back and face it all again, just to ensure at least _one_ herd survived...

_They _saved the herd that Hudson was privileged to have been a part of, even if for just a few months.

_And they were killed for it, _He thought grimly.

He didn't think he could hate anything more than he hated the frozen lands before him, but as his thoughts turned to the unseen perpetrators, he knew he was wrong.

He tugged his eyes away from the vista and onto the cliff behind him, a seemingly slick wall of ice and stone that vanished into the low clouds above him. His eyes settled on the cave there - still bearing the jagged marks where it's icy cover had been smashed - and knew now that he was looking at a tomb.

He took deep breaths, willing himself to remain calm when all he wanted to do was rage at the injustice of the whole situation. At the cruelty that heroes should die so _unlamented_, and so far from home.

_Damn it all to Hell, _He thought.

"All right," He murmured into his radio. "I'm coming in."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The cave felt cramped as Hudson shuffled between the numerous forensic specialists and their equipment. Various patches of ice had been marked out, with the largest patch on the other side of the cave from himself covered over with tarpaulin. He had to admit, he was a little surprised; he had expected to see frozen cadavers, signs of struggle, _something _besides marked out patches of ice that, on closer inspection, looked slightly darker than the rest.

"Colonel Hudson!"

He snapped his head up, spying through midst of people an eager beaver - bearing the insignia of a Corporal on his thick, arctic jacket -waving him over.

"Colonel Hudson!" The beaver said again, "Over here, sir!"

He weaved his way towards the beaver, careful not to step on the numerous patches of blotched ice. Before he knew it, he was practically towering over the little creature.

"What have you found?" He said curtly; he was in no mood for meaningless pleasantries.

The beaver seemed to understand, and swiftly moved to a nearby computer, placed on an impromptu desk made of ice.

"Sir, we've found and matched the traces of DNA found here; all nine of the missing herd have been accounted for including...ah...yourself, sir."

Hudson blinked in confusion,

"Traces?" He repeated. "What do you mean by _traces, _corporal?"

He had expected mention of bodies, not of traces. He let out an aggravated sigh; he had expected it to be..._simple. _

Once more, he now knew he was wrong.

The beaver made a gesture that incorporated the entire cave,

"We have found blood, sir - small amounts of it, mind you - and have marked them off accordingly..."

_Blood. The blotched areas were blood._

Hudson's stomach churned, suddenly aware he could have stepped on what little remained of his other self...

If it weren't for his willpower, he knew he could easily have thrown up at that point.

"...and we have found _a_ body," The beaver continued, oblivious to his superior's queasiness. "We have catalogued our findings and ran them through our database, ten of the eleven DNA traces we found matched. What's interesting is that the eleventh isn't in our database, and is only found on the...ah...appendage that is attached to the hilt of the murder weapon."

Hudson had been staring at a nearby blotched - _bloodied, _he corrected himself - patch of ice until that moment. With an unintended sharpness, he spun around and glared at the corporal,

"Hilt?" Hudson said bluntly. "That's a very specific choice of word, corporal..."

"But justified!" The beaver interrupted. Nimbly, he shifted himself around Hudson, gesturing for the wolf to follow him. When Hudson saw the marked out region, his stomach churned even more, thinking he was going to be shown yet more blood...

It wasn't blood. He could see the chisel marks in the ice, and knew the thing had been excavated painstakingly. But it was the thing itself that truly grabbed his attention. His mind reeled in confusion.

"None of us quite knew what it was at first," The beaver muttered, as if to himself. "But some queries got us back a somewhat surprising result; it's a gladius. A sword favoured by the Romans-"

"I know what a _gladius_ is, and _who_ used it, corporal," Hudson said sharply. He winced inside as the beaver jumped back. He closed his eyes briefly, taking deep breaths to bring his anger under control.

"I'm sorry, corporal," He said softly. "This situation is a little...hard...on me, given _who _the victims were..."

The beaver nodded slightly, wincing himself as if he the thought hadn't occurred to him.

"My apologies, sir," He said quickly. "I forgot how painful this must be given who...died...here..."

Hudson glanced back at the sword. Once more his breakfast threatened to come back up.

"Corporal...is that...is that a _hand?" _He murmured.

"Ah...yes, it is, sir," The beaver replied slowly. "DNA tests show it belonged to Commissioner Cartwright, sir."

Hudson blinked. He had expected to have found Cartwright's body amongst the dead.

He _hadn't_ expected to find his hand wielding the murder weapon. His heart literally hurt in his chest,

_Cartwright did it, _He thought to himself, _My God, this was done by one of our own._

"Please, continue," Hudson replied quietly.

"Well, as I was saying," The beaver said. "All the DNA traces from the corpse and the blood stains are found on the sword's blade - which is a genuine gladius, manufactured in the second century AD according to the analysis report of it - you see here. Inscription on it was more recent...anyways, the tenth is, obviously, the Commissioner's hand...but the eleventh trace is only found on the...ah...ending of the Commissioner's appendage."

"And you can't match the eleventh trace?" Hudson quizzed.

"Not yet," the corporal said, slumping slightly. "We've sent the word out to central command, so hopefully someone will find a match on records _somewhere_. It's interesting...the eleventh trace is only found in the saliva on the wound...seem's someone _bit off_ the Commissioner's hand...the wounds seem consistent with the dentures of a sabre."

Hudson nodded attentively, even as he mustered all of his will in not throwing up. He allowed his eyes to drift back to the sword and it's grizzly attachment, puzzled by the growing set of questions that arose in his mind;

_So...Cartwright tried to kill them, but then his hand was bitten off by a sabre...and not by Diego, or Mark...who else was here? And why? And what's inscribed on it?_

He had a sinking feeling that his investigation had barely begun.

Scanning the sword, he suddenly realised it wasn't the only object in the marked off area.

"What is that?" Hudson demanded, pointing at the object.

"Ah yes, now _this _little beauty is truly strange," The beaver murmured, picking up the device carefully. Hudson eyed the little object; it looked familiar, but couldn't figure out why.

"Again, we had no idea what it was," The beaver stated. "Apparently, according to our records, it's some kind of data storage device for voice-recording - funny thing is that things like this had gone the way of the dodo since way before I was bor-"

A swift, withering glance from Hudson stopped his rambling.

"Anyways...ah...somehow, it's not been too badly damaged by the cold-"

"Meaning?" Hudson pressed.

'Meaning, sir," The beaver said. "That it can still be accessed."

Hudson watched the corporal with interest as he pulled out a several wires from a nearby container he hadn't previously noticed, connecting the computer and the device before typing away avidly on the keyboard.

Suddenly, a voice filled the room,

"_They've taken Fort Halstead! They attacked before dawn; we were like sitting ducks. Many of us hid in the ruined volcano nearby, but they hunted us down and killed most of the survivors that hid there. We barely managed to escape, but they're closing in on us. I know no one will hear this, but still; if you are anywhere near us, run. Stay away from Fort Halstead...Oh God..._"

The voice sent Hudson's blood cold as the sounds of muffled screams and machine gun fire filled the room. He had heard it before, in another cave, thirty thousand years ahead of the time he currently occupied, surrounded by the remains of six skeletons and the herd.

It had felt like he had only heard it yesterday.

_A lifetime ago..._

His eyes widened as it all clicked into place; it was a Dictaphone. _The _Dictaphone. The one they had found, had taken apart, had listened to with dread...

"My God," He whispered in shock. "How did that get here? I thought we had destroyed it!"

The corporal shot him a look of puzzled surprise,

"You've seen this device _before_, sir?"

"Yes," He mustered. "Years ago, on a mission with..." He shook his head; even then, that mission was classified. "Never mind. The one thing I do know is that this device _cannot _be here."

_No, _he realised, _Frank re-assembled it...and gave it to their Terry..._

The beaver nodded slightly, deflating as he realised he would not be getting anymore information on the matter.

"Ok...anyways, this isn't the recording I wanted to show you, sir," the corporal said. "This recording is old, but there is a recording on here that was made _recently_. Less than six months ago, we reckon."

Hudson's ears twitched, his mind racing as to what the recording could be;

_A message from the herd, telling them who it was? _Unlikely...

_A message from the murderer, gloating?_

He knew it was logical...and, even without hearing it, he knew who left it. It all felt too..._familiar._

"Play it, please." He grunted, suddenly unwilling to hear it. The beaver obliged and a new, ominous, voice filled the cavern. It was clearly altered, too deep to be physically possible by any species, but that merely added to the dread that welled up in Hudson,

_"Your Judas has seen to this herd here deceased; eternal, forgotten and spurned. Now the guards cannot run, lo! Revenge shall now come, for the Remnant wills Rome to burn."_

_Jesus Christ, _He thought. _The Remnant! Rome? Burn!_

His mind spun, unable to grasp what he had heard. Why did the Remnant wish Rome to burn? And _when_? Defending a city throughout all of time was a gargantuan task, even for the UNTC. Questions rattled through his head so fiercely the ground beneath him seemed to lurch.

"But that doesn't make any sense!" It was only after a moment that he realised it was _himself _who said it. All the same, he continued. "They've never targeted entire cities before, let alone anything unrelated to the UNTC! Why start now? And why start with Rome?"

He needed to go, _immediately. _He knew the instinct was irrational; he had all the time in the world, and could readily return to any point he pleased, but his mind urged him to leave at once all the same. He had to tell Sam, warn the Commission, set the city on battle readiness. But even in the torrent of urgent thoughts, one stood out from all the others; the tarpaulin beside him. He hadn't missed the corporal's comments of a body...

And he knew he had to know, even if he didn't want to; his superiors would want a full report on everything that they had found there.

Stunned beyond any emotion, he merely pointed at the tarpaulin.

"Show me." He said flatly.

As the corporal pulled away the sheet, the body came into view. He could make out a small trunk, light brown fur, small protrusions of tusk beside the trunk...

He snapped his eyes shut, praying once more, almost as much for the little mammoth's soul as for his own sanity.

"She's a mammoth," He could hear the corporal say, matter-of-factly. "Approximately two to three years old at time of death. The cause of said death is a combination of two sword wounds to her side and the sub-arctic temperatures which have - ironically - also preserved her...I wonder what her name was..."

He opened his eyes and glared at the corporal. He could see a thoughtful look in the beaver's eyes. The cruelty of the mammoth laying there as they investigated the scene of the crime, without even knowing her _name, _cut Hudson to the core. He knew it was impossible for them to know it, but he didn't care. She deserved to be remembered. The least they could do was remember her _name_.

"Peaches," He said firmly.

"I'm sorry, sir?" The beaver mustered.

"That was her _name," _Hudson said, looking the corporal squarely in the eyes. "Her name is..._was..._Peaches."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

17,992BC

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Manny emerged from the forest, carefully balancing several logs on his tusks as he negotiated the stream that ran around the lip of the hill on which his herd's cave resided. In the distance he could hear the sounds of hammers and chisels - familiar sounds now that he had heard them for months on end - and caused a smile to creep onto his face.

He glanced up the hill, his view of their cave now occluded by a half-built structure, made of wood. Drawing nearer, he could admire it further; the structure was large - big enough to fit all members of the herd comfortably around its large, central, circular fireplace. Shaped hexagonally, five of the six walls were notable by their absence, the roof held aloft by six large posts. The one wall that _was_ present had already been covered with mementos - items he hadn't seen before - even though it had barely been finished just days prior. Manny placed the logs on the ground and entered the large space, moving closer to inspect the lone wall, his curiosity piqued by the newly appeared items.

As he negotiated his way around the fireplace he pondered the last six months, recalling the memorials they had held for the other herd, the joy in being reunited with the village's people, and the beginning of building the village itself. He recalled the generous provisions Sam had given them - tools, training to use said tools, and something they called a 'camera.' He remembered the sheer excitement of Claire, Ben and Sid at the gift of the camera and smiled, putting it to prodigious use almost immediately. Crossing the spacious structure, he glanced up at the partly finished roof, his smile turning to a thoughtful frown,

_We'd better finish that before it rains, _he noted.

He turned his gaze from the ceiling to the lone wall, looking at the dozens of advanced specimens of cave art - 'photos' he had heard Claire, Frank and Ben call them - that hung clustered there, all of them showing his herd smiling back at him from behind glass frames. He glanced upwards, noting Frank's sword hanging gracefully from two hooks above the photos, all trace of the grime and blood that had speckled just six months prior nowhere to be seen.

He scanned his new surroundings and let out a chuckle; he found himself amused at how _he - _Manny the Moody Mammoth, least eager of all people for change - had found himself at change's very epicentre...

...and - more amusing still for him - that he had enjoyed every moment of it.

"Hey, buddy,"

Manny jumped,

"Diego!" He exclaimed. "Seriously, buddy, stop scaring me like that!"

Diego shrugged, shooting him a mischievous grin,

"Can't help it," He stated. "I'm a sabre after all - stalking silently is what we do."

Manny returned the grin,

"Hunting mammoths is something sabres do too," He replied.

"Yeah, well, some things do change," Diego said. His eyes scanned the building. "Like this...and us...and, the village...and our world and time and future...you know, _little _things tend to change."

Manny laughed,

"I think that's the first time me and 'little' have ever been used in the same sentence!" He chortled. He cast his eyes beyond Diego to the valley beyond, his smile quickly vanishing behind a slight frown.

The vista he had seen innumerable times - could still picture when he closed his eyes - had changed almost beyond recognition. From where he stood he could see the newly built homes pockmarking the forest, the half-finished school standing prominently in the plains beyond, nestled comfortably beside the playground he had built years before. Beside the school he could see the marked out ground where - one day - the village's meeting hall would be built, already promising to become a hub of the community. The thing that had changed the most, however, was just how much _life _he could see.

Everywhere his eyes fell, he could see life; villagers - looking like small, many coloured dots from his standpoint - hustling and bustling as they went about their day.

He knew the reasons why it seemed busier. The valley's population had doubled in barely six months. Countless times already he had heard the travelers' stories of the 'Victors of Halstead Pass' and the tales of 'Twelve Guardians' fighting off the forces of darkness...

_Ungh, _he thought; the title had always made him groan inwardly. Ever since the first time he heard it attached to himself and his herd he had hated the title.

He knew full well that the true 'Victors' were not _his_ herd...yet, no matter how many times he tried to correct the travelers, the stories stubbornly refused to change, and they hadn't ceased to append the title to his herd...and to _him._

It wouldn't have bothered him as much if he hadn't _also_ heard the same stories from entire herds of animals who had appeared over the months, suddenly wishing to live amongst them. Hundreds - maybe even thousands, for all he knew - more people lived in his valley than he had ever seen before,

_And most of them think _you_ are the heroes, _he thought bitterly.

He let out a long, drawn out sigh; he knew it was something he would have to live with, no matter how untrue it seemed to him.

Consigning his thoughts to the back of his mind, he turned his attention back to the life-filled vista before him and pictured the herd - _his_ herd - amongst them, laughing and working and living...

_You should have seen this, _he thought ruefully, seeing the other herd in his mind's eye, _Wherever you are, we hope you're proud._

Amongst the hustle and bustle of construction, he knew, lay the memorial - the very _first_ thing they had built on returning - to commemorate the other herd. A distant smile crept onto his face; it seemed fitting to him that the memorial had been built at the very centre of their village, where everyone would see it, and would continue to see it for years and decades to come. He hoped, someday, the true heroes would be remembered as such...

_It's the least we could do, _He thought.

He let out another sigh,

"Do you think they would have been proud of this?" He asked quietly, as if to himself.

Diego, without his realising, had came alongside him, placing a paw on his neck. He tore his gaze away from the vista, his eyes meeting the sabre's.

"If someone had done all this," Diego made a gesture encompassing the whole valley. "In memory of you, wouldn't you be?"

He thought about his friend's question. He knew the answer, of course, but he had never pondered _why _they would be, till that moment.

He smiled as he realised they had set about not only to live, but to thrive.

_Living for two herds, _he thought, _and doing as much as we can...as the herd that helps._

"Yeah," He finally murmured. "Yeah, I would be."

Suddenly, his radio crackled into life, snapping him out of his thoughts,

_"Manny," _Claire's voice chirped. _"Are those logs coming anytime soon? Hard to finish a school without wood!"_

He chuckled to himself, sharing an amused glance at Diego.

"Humans," He huffed, feigning annoyance, "They're intolerable sometimes."

Diego grinned,

"I could eat them if you want," He said playfully. "Or maybe just give them a little mauling?"

"I might take you up on that," Manny chortled. He pressed the radio to his mouth. "Hey Claire, Manny here, I'm just coming over with them."

_"Thanks Manny!" _Claire's voice replied.

He replaced his radio back in its holster - concealed under the tuft of fur on the back of his neck, beside the bracelet given him by Pinky's father, long ago - sighed again, and prepared himself to move the logs back onto his tusks. Once more without his hearing, Diego had appeared by his side, hoisting the logs with him.

"I might as well come with you," the sabre grunted, thrusting the last log into its place. "Humans might need eating, after all, and I'm all for a free lunch."

"_Mauling,_" Manny corrected, grinning as he did so. "The humans might need _mauling._"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Where tha 'eck 'ave the nails gone?"

Diego smirked, unsurprised that Buck - of all people - could make himself heard over the cacophony of noise and chatter and the harsh, relentless sounds of building. The weasel emerged from a nearby building, covered in wood chips and saw dust, a hammer hefted over his shoulder. The sabre's smirk grew, enjoying the comical sight the weasel presented.

"Oi! Mark!" Buck shouted over the din, his eyes fixed on the building opposite. "Where tha 'eck did ya put the nails?"

Mark's head popped out of the small doorway, followed by a paw full of nails,

"They're right here, Buck!" He shouted back. "Sorry - needed them - was gonna bring 'em back!"

"_Was gonna _ain't gonna flippin' build the 'ouse, mate!" The weasel clamoured as he negotiated the treacherously busy stretch. He narrowly missed being hit by a swarm of overexcited children. Reaching the other abode safely, he snatched the nails from the sabre cub's paw. "Next time, find yer own!"

The cub grinned, shrugged, and vanished from the doorway. Diego watched the weasel, grumbling and muttering under his breath, return over the road and enter the house. Within moments, loud and fierce hammering erupted from within. He looked up, sharing an amused grin with Manny.

"Looks like a certain sabre needs some mauling, too," The mammoth commented.

Diego opened his mouth to speak, but a voice cut him off,

"Manny! Thank goodness!" Claire exclaimed, edging her way through the crowd. "Did you get them?"

Manny stared at the logs, shooting a bemused glance at the human.

"No," He said dryly. "I thought I would I'd go for a jog instead, have some nice cool water from a crystal pool and just relax...of course I got them!" He snapped. "What do you think I'm carrying all this wood for?"

Claire grinned,

"Just checking," She stated. She retraced her steps through the crowd, gesturing for them to follow. "Come on! We need them over here!"

Manny did not follow immediately.

"Maul her." He muttered.

"What?" Diego quizzed.

"You gotta maul her," Manny repeated again. "Please? Just a _little_?"

"I heard that!" Claire called out, laughing. "Playing the mafia don doesn't suit you, Manny! Oh, and if Diego mauls me, Frank shoots you! It's only fair after all."

Diego and Manny shared a bemused glance,

"What's a mafia don?" Manny asked. "And _how _did she hear that?"

Diego shrugged,

"Beats me," He replied. "But getting shot by Frank is a strong enough argument to _not _find out."

Manny turned forward, training his eyes firmly on the human that rapidly vanished into the crown. He let out a weary sigh,

"Humans," He muttered in annoyance. "They're intolerable sometimes."

Without another word, he stomped forward with a enough of a ferocious pace that people scattered, desperate to get out of the way. Diego smirked slightly as he walked in his friend's wake, enjoying the space he had carved through the people.

"_Oh, and Manny?" _Claire's voice chimed out of Manny's radio. "_Next time you bad mouth my species, be sure to switch your radio off!"_

Glancing at his radio, the mammoth winced; it had been wedged between the wood and his tusk for longer than he'd like to think.

_Definitely gotta maul her, _He noted, _before she gloats._

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The sun hung high in the sky, bathing the whole valley in its light. Suspended ten feet from the ground, hammering nails into the wood, Frank could feel the film of sweat developing on his brow. He paused, hanging slack from the ropes, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.

"You alright, Frank?"

The sound of Ellie's voice rose above the background noise. He shifted awkwardly in his harness, searching for the source of the voice.

He froze as he heard a rope creak above him. Suddenly, he soared towards the floor, flailing limbs only entangling further. Just as suddenly, his fall was arrested, knocking the wind out of his lungs.

"Oof!" He grunted, swaying gently from his exertions.

"That was fun!" Ellie exclaimed. "Can you do that again?"

He stared at Ellie's wide grin. She seemed to be standing on the ceiling.

_The floor, _he corrected, _you're upside down._

"I'm fine thanks," He replied, feigning nonchalance. "I thought I'd just hang around for a bit, you know, catch my breath and all."

"Uh-huh," Ellie said, her grin getting still wider, much to his annoyance. "Well, I guess I'll leave you to catch your breath."

His nonchalant front cracked as the mammoth turned and walked away. He scanned his situation, concluded he couldn't escape on his own, and flailed, hoping someone would see...

_and help, _he finished. Even as he thought it, he knew he was being optimistic...

at best.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Diego blinked as the school came into view, his legs unconsciously ceasing to move. He gawped at the structure, but paid no heed to the building itself, but rather to the mass of ropes and flapping appendages that hung from one of its corners.

"Wait, Ellie! Ellie come on! This has stopped being funny now!" The flopping apparition screamed. A smile crept onto his face as he realised the voice was none other than Frank's. "Oh _come on!_ Anyone feel like giving me a hand? This. Isn't. FUNNY!"

The encroaching shadow beside him slowed to a stop. He glanced up at Manny, his features etched with amusement.

"Well lookie here!" He exclaimed. "What shall we call this?"

Diego grinned, turning back to the writhing human.

"I think we'll call it art," He declared.

"I'm _not_ art!" Frank protested.

Manny nodded slowly,

"Art...yeah, we could use some culture," He murmured. "Art it is!"

"Oh HA, HA!" Frank retorted. "You two go ahead and have a good laugh at my expense! Just you wait till I get to my gun..."

He grunted and strained, but the ropes wouldn't budge. He slumped, dangling, seemingly wearied from his exertions.

"Should we help him now?" Diego quizzed to no one in particular.

"Yes!" Frank shouted.

Manny shrugged, shooting Diego a mischievous smile,

"Nah," He replied. "I'm not done appreciating this art."

"Not done appre-" Frank flustered, trailing off in his indignation. The tranquil mass of human and rope suddenly convulsed as its captive tried desperately to escape. "I swear to God, Manny! To Jesus, E.T _and_ Elvis too that I will _end _you unless you let me down!"

Manny tutted, affecting a disappointed stare.

"Temper, temper, Frank," He stated sombrely. His lips curled into a slight smile. "That's no way to speak to your would-be saviours...and appreciation of art can't be rushed!"

Diego glanced back to the human, and saw her. Ellie, as silently as she could, had crept right up behind Frank, craning towards the nearest rope with her tusk.

All of his will went into maintaining the cool, composed stare he now leveled at Frank.

"You might wanna hold on." He stated calmly.

Frank stared at him incredulously.

"What the hell do you me-"

The floor cut Frank off as he collapsed into the dirt, ropes piling on top of him. Diego peered through the dust cloud at Ellie, giving her as accusing a smile as she could. She feigned shock, planting her trunk on her lips,

"Oops!...was I supposed to help him down as well?" She said, lips curling into a smirk. "My bad."

Frank scurried onto his feet, ropes dangling haphazardly across him. He heaved, glaring fiercely at all present.

"You're all bastards," He growled.

"Ah come on Frank," Manny replied. "How many times have you done something like that to _Sid_ in the last few months?"

Frank opened his mouth, promptly shutting it as no words came. Diego suppressed the grin that tried to form, realising full well the predicament Frank - cruel prankster when it came to Sid - had found himself in.

_The prankster has just been pranked, _he noted. He gave up suppressing his grin, showing off every single inch of his teeth to the human.

"Stupid herd," The human grumbled, shuffling his way out of his harness. "Stupid family, stupid ice age, hate Manny, hate Ellie, hate everything."

"We love you too, Frank!" Manny replied breezily.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Manny's words incensed him in ways he couldn't fathom. He stood there, divested of his now-useless harness, and stared at Diego, Ellie and - most of all - Manny, glaring with ill concealed rage. He raised his hand, pointing his finger accusingly at the mammoth, and prepared to let him have every piece of his mind he could give him. But, just as he opened his mouth to speak, he found himself blindsided by a seemingly unstoppable force. As he crashed to the ground - again - he caught a glimpse of Peaches' fur and Ben's jacket.

"Oof!" He exclaimed eloquently as his face hit the dust.

He saw Manny and Diego share a wince, their smiles remaining irritatingly intact.

"That's some bad luck you got there, Frank." Manny replied, deadpan.

He wanted to rage against them, but the words - and anger - were choked out of him by Ben's vice-like hug. He shook his head, allowing a rueful smile onto his face.

"With family like this, who needs enemies?" He wheezed, returning his son's fierce hug. Almost as soon as it had begun, his son had scurried off, followed briskly by Peaches.

Released from Ben's grasp, he rose unsteadily to his feet, dusting himself off as he did so.

"So Diego," He said loudly. "How's our little homestead coming?"

He waited a moment, turning to the sabre when no reply came, giving him a quizzical look.

"Diego?" He repeated much less confidently.

The sabre remained frozen, his gaze fixed on a point behind himself. Curious, he spun round, following the sabre's gaze.

It took him several moments to spot them but, as soon as he did, it was all he could see; two figures on the hill, standing beside their half-finished home, waving wildly back at them. Even from afar, he could tell one was human, the other's grey pelt suggesting to him a wolf. He frowned unintentionally, his mind recalling what Sam had said to him last;

_When we find out what happened to them, you'll be the first to know._

He glanced sideways at the memorial, eyes welling with tears.

_They should have been here, _a voice echoed through his mind, _they should have been here..._

"Damn," He murmured. "Damn it all."

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

**End of Chapter 35**

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

**Before you click the review button and express your intense displeasure at my decision, only one body was actually **_**found. **_**Are they going to show up again in a future story? Am I just trying to soften the blow? Only time will tell :)**

**Right! Now that you've heard me out, feel free to click below and register your dislike of my decision :)**

**One chapter left guys! One. Chapter. LEFT!**

**Till the end,**

**Adieu**


	36. Epilogue

**Hello everyone!**

**At long, long last, here we are! This is the final chapter of this story! Just over two years from beginning with a little silly story about time travelling humans, it has somehow snowballed into an epic adventure, and you - the readers - are to thank for that. Your enthusiasm for this story, your active engagement, made me want to do this properly. All the ideas you threw at me made this story into what it is, and have made it a certainty that I'm not stopping here :D. I feel I should thank a few people directly; I cannot be more grateful, nor thankful, to Debit13 and ForTheKingdom, who have beta'd this story over its tenure and have corrected all of my many mistakes, and thus made this readable. Similarly, thank you to DiegoRedeemedLover, Kaktusic, Goldenpuon and yellowraccoon for reviewing this story all the way; your excitement, your criticisms, your nudges along the way and all your encouragements have definitely made this possible.**

**And last, but not least, to you who are reading this. I know, courtesy of the stats, that there are a lot of you who have read through this story but haven't reviewed along the way, but I still thank you for taking the time to read this and deeming it good enough to keep reading it. Just seeing the stats page is always encouraging, and so I thank you. I hope, if you haven't reviewed before, you could let me know what you have thought of the story before we part ways :). **

**Flip, this is a long A/N! Sorry - i was planning on having a 'thanks' chapter at the end, but it seems to have come out here! So now, for the last time this story...**

**Without further ado...**

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

_Questions. Too many questions._

Sam's mind distracted her from the vista her office granted her,. She stared at the sword's hilt gripped in her hands dispassionately, recalling all that she knew of it; the forensics team had found it alongside Peaches, it was the genuine article, and nothing was as it seemed.

But of all she knew about the sword, it was the inscription that haunted her most, purely because it was so utterly out of place;

_December 12th, 2072_

The sword - _gladius, _she corrected herself - had been scrubbed clean, revealing the lettering that had been obscured before.

Their presence only added yet more questions to her lengthy list.

Leaning back, eyes now fixed to a vague point in the sky, she allowed the questions to flow over her - questions she had refrained from asking until that moment - hoping she would find the answers she desperately wanted. With every blink, the sun seemed to move further in the sky, but she granted it little more than a passing acknowledgement; her mind still trying - and failing - to find answers.

"What are you planning?" she thought aloud, mulling over the clues, veiled threats, and whispered horrors the Remnant had done, and promised to do. "What do you want?"

The distant lights winking into existence finally grabbed her attention. She looked through the window and blinked; the deep shade of the evening sky suggested the sun had long since gone. She could see the layered lights of London's buildings and skyscrapers, casting the city beyond in a faint haze. She switched on her desk lamp in search of a clock, unceremoniously dropping the gladius in the process. Finding one, she merely stared at it, disbelieving the time it gave her.

"That can't be right," She murmured.

"And a good evening to you too, Sam."

Her head shot up in time to see James emerge from the darkened hallway, his eyes glinting in the dim light. She shot him a weary smile that faded almost as soon as she gave it.

"Time flies when you're confused," she replied.

The wolf eased himself into a chair opposite her, eyes flickering pensively between herself and the sword on the table.

"And did sitting at your desk for seven hours help assuage that confusion?" he queried.

She smiled once more, leaning back into her chair.

"Not in the slightest," she said. Paused but a moment, she shot bolt upright, eyes probing the wolf with interest. "How about you? Did you find anything?"

"Regarding the inscription?" he replied, deflating slightly. "Unfortunately so."

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end at the wolf's tone and body language. She leant forward, eyeing him intensely.

"What did you find?" she pressed.

He let out a sigh, rubbing his eyes with his paws. The strong, confident wolf that had entered the room dissipated. Even in the dim light, she could see just how _tired _James looked.

_Like he hasn't slept in days_, she noted.

"As you know, we are having difficulty maintaining communications with our agents and networks beyond the date inscribed-"

"Yes, and?" she snapped, her tone much more forceful than she intended_._

"We have looked into it, and it seems the reason isn't technological or logistical...it's _causational_," he replied, his weariness now infecting his voice.

_Causational._

Just hearing the word stunned her, her face turning expressionless in her shock.

"The reason we have difficulty contacting them," James continued ploddingly. "Is because, after that date, our timeline...is no longer the _only_ probable one."

The room felt darker, more oppressive to her at that moment. In her mind's eye, she could finally perceive the meaning. She chuckled humourlessly, swivelling in her chair so as to see both Hudson and the city vista. The city beyond, still buzzing with life, calmed her unease.

"It's a signal of intent," she murmured. "They are moving their pieces into position even as we speak."

"Ma'am?" Hudson replied, evidently confused.

She smiled absently, eyes not fixed on several blinking lights in the distance.

"Chess, James," she mussitated. "They're toying with us; playing a game where whoever checkmates the other wins the control of time itself." She turned slightly, eyeing the sword cooly.

"And, it seems, they feel so certain of their victory that they kindly let us know _when _they plan on checkmating us."

Even as she noted Hudson's darkening expression, her mind turned to the herd. She thought of the village they had created, the lives they planned on living...

Realising, as she then did, the true nature of all of their circumstances; players in a battle yet to be truly fought.

She knew full well that the herd would eventually be targets in whatever dealings the Remnant had; too much had happened for them not to be...

"That won't happen!" Hudson growled, dragging her attention back to him. "We will find them and put a quick end to this before it has even begun!"

She gave him a rueful smile, wishing, with all her heart, it were that easy.

"A quick end," she murmured ruefully, leaning back into her chair. "No, there won't be an _easy_ solution to this..." She held up a hand instinctively, silencing the arguments she knew were coming from the wolf. "We could throw all of the UNTC's efforts into hunting them down, but I bet we will only find ourselves chasing shadows again, just like the _last_ ten years..."

An eerie silence filled the room as Hudson slumped in resignation, his eyes hidden in shadow.

"What can we do?" He said quietly.

She smiled slightly, eyes still trained on the distant lights.

"We'll do it all the same, and more," She replied.

"And more?" Hudson asked.

She could feel her old, mischievous smile creep onto her face as the thrill of defiance rushed through her.

"In the words of my brother," she said, her smile growing. "It can wait."

The wolf merely stared dully at her,

"What is it with Howards and questions?" He asked. "Are you capable of _ever_ answering a question directly?"

She grinned,

"Sometimes, provided it's an emergency. Being annoyingly enigmatic just runs in the family," She glanced at her watch and grimaced. "Speaking of Frank, we're late."

"_Late_," Hudson replied, deadpan. "The ability to 'cast to any point in time and space, and you're saying we're _late."_

"Secretary General's prerogative," She replied, her mischievous smile once more fixed firmly on her face. "Now come along James; we have some answering to do."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

17,992BC

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hudson blinked away retinal echoes, every blink revealing his surroundings; woods, hills, a half-finished building, and the unmistakeable - and unexpected - sight of a village rising out of the trees in the plains before him.

He squinted up at the sun in it's cloudless sky, and pondered. The air felt colder, but not unpleasantly so. Fresher too, he noted.

"_This_ is the village?" He asked, knowing full well it was, that it _had _to be.

Sam placed her hand gently on his neck and gave him a squeeze, her eyes never leaving the vista before them.

"This is the village," She replied airily, grinning broadly. "Home of the herd, good times...and peace."

He returned the grin, taking in a deep breath of air, savouring its freshness.

"Beats London any day of the week." He remarked.

Movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Squinting into the plains below, amidst the mass of people, he could make out a human, sabre and two mammoths coming towards them. He craned his neck upwards and began to grin, but stopped himself. The sounds, smells and quiet had completely distracted him from the reason he was there. He looked up at Sam, her lips still creased in a goofy grin.

"Are you going to tell them everything?" He quizzed.

The smile had vanished almost as soon as the words left his lips, thought she still waved as furiously as she did before.

"No," She said quietly, eyes still cast over the valley.

"May I ask why?" He pressed.

Her hands fell to her sides, seemingly as weary as her face had suddenly become.

"It isn't safe for them to know...everything," She murmured. "If they know what we do, then things might turn out much, much worse."

He squinted at her. It wasn't like her to be so secretive, least of all with regards to the herd. The harder he looked at her, the more he wondered;

_What does she know that I don't?_

He knew it was expected that she - the secretary general of the most powerful UN branch on earth _ever_ - would know more than he would. It was her job to keep - and act on - secrets.

But he never expected such secrets to surround the herd, even with all the veiled threats the Remnant threw their way. The fact that there even _were_ secrets he didn't know regarding the herd - people he cared about - left him feeling uneasy.

"For us, or for them?" He quizzed tentatively.

She stayed silent, her mouth opening and closing but no words coming forth. He frowned, eyeing Sam with worry, waiting for an answer.

"I don't know yet," She admitted, her voice a faint echo of itself. "Maybe us, maybe them...maybe both. I don't know."

He let out a sigh, dragging his attention back to the approaching herd.

"Why keep them in the dark if you don't know?" He voiced quietly.

The weight of her stare on his back forced him to face her and her deeply perturbed eyes.

But the voice that answered was not hers,

"If someone else knew your future, would you really want to know?"

Hudson spun round, suddenly faced with a greying antelope. She held her head high, her eyes piercingly clear.

It took him a moment to realise who he was looking at; Keira, the village elder, was more stately in the flesh than any description Sam mustered over the months.

"Elder," He said, bowing slightly. "It is an honou-"

"Would you want to know, Colonel Hudson?" She asked, her tone softer the second time round.

"Depends on what that future holds," He remarked. "If it's good, then yes-"

"And if possibly bad?" She interrupted.

He frowned at the question, wishing he hadn't even begun the conversation. His eyes darted back to the herd - still edging closer and closer in the distance - and fought off the impending demands, questions, pleadings...

_You're an officer, _he thought firmly. _Act like one._

"No," He replied mutedly. "I wouldn't want to know, because I would live in fear of that future."

She nodded absently,

"Precisely," She murmured. "Precisely."

Sam stepped in front of him, bowing down respectfully, as he did.

"Keira," She said. "I wish I could say I've come on more pleasant business..."

"I know, Sam," She said softly. "You came to tell me this morning, though you mentioned having seen me at this time _before _having visited me then, so your confusion is fair. Grieved as I am by the news, I cannot say I am surprised; of what little I have seen of the Remnant, I have seen enough to know they care nothing for life."

Sam nodded slightly, straightening herself out.

"Have you told them?" She asked.

"No," Keira replied. "I decided it would be best if you told them first. I will go to the pond and wait for Manny, as you told me I would do." A smirk crept across her face. "Having a friend beyond time is a bit of an adjustment."

Sam smiled,

"You can say that again."

Keira's eyes turned towards him, as if to include him in their conversation. Suddenly awkward, he cast his eyes to the floor.

"My apologies for being so blunt, Colonel Hudson," She replied softly. "It's just that I have little time; Sam's future-self informed me I was not present for the meeting and, seeing as they are almost here, I have to go."

He smiled, gratefully accepting the apology, and watched the antelope sprint away.

"Good luck!" She called back.

"See you later, I guess!" Sam shouted, waving her hand aloft.

Within moments, the antelope was gone, and the herd reached the base of the hill. He took a sharp intake of breath, steadying himself for the coming talk.

"James."

He snapped his head round, his gaze meeting Sam's.

"When this is done, remind me to make it procedural policy to enforce_ chronological_ meetings," She murmured. "I'm getting quite tired of finding out what I am going to do."

He smiled,

"Yup, definitely a Howard."

She shot him a grin just as the herd arrived.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

For all the openness their pavilion granted, Manny felt claustrophobic. The herd, crammed alongside several elders of the village, listened in utter silence to Sam as she conveyed the news they had feared to hear: the other herd was dead. To a disbelieving and dismayed audience, Sam unflinchingly told them of tales of betrayal, infiltration, death in ice caves in times long past...

If he didn't know the herd as well as he did, he would have feared for her safety.

Suddenly, his heart lurched into his mouth as Peaches' name - and the fate of her other self - crept into the torrent of revelations. Out of instinct, as well as for his own comfort, he clutched his daughter tightly to himself, silently thankful she was sleeping. He swallowed hard, stroking her hair gently, as he turned his attention once again to Sam.

"...and the evidence suggests that she - and all the members of that herd - died in that cave; there was too much blood to suggest anything else," Sam said. "But as to where the others' remains are...we don't know yet. All we know is that John..." She paused, her eyes glazed over briefly. "..._ex-Commissioner Cartwright..._betrayed the very values, principles...and _people_...he had sworn to uphold."

She scanned the room, her eyes finally falling on Manny before twitching away, but he had seen enough; she looked grim, weary, angry and dismayed.

Headstrong he may be, but Manny knew a lie when he saw it; Sam wasn't lying as far as he was concerned.

"What has happened is horrendous," She stated, her tone forcibly flat. "And an utter betrayal of that herd, yourselves, and myself...everything I stand for has been betrayed...everything the UNTC - me, Terry, Charlie, Nigel and James included - stands for has been betrayed. But we can find no reason for it; no traces of illicit activities in his actions, no evidence of any pro-Remnant opinions in either public or private. No signs that he was planning anything at all, much less anything suggesting the scale of the crimes he has managed to commit. But I will make no excuses for him. On behalf of all of us, I am truly, deeply, sorry. I hope this doesn't affect the UNTC's relationship with yourselves, or the trust you have in us."

The silence that followed felt deafening to him, making the open room feel even more claustrophobic. Finally, a slight movement snatched everyone's attention to Frank.

"You realise what I'm going to ask," He murmured with an almost menacing quietness.

Sam sighed, her eyes flickering briefly to Hudson, the wolf standing stiffly beside her.

"Yes I do," Sam said.

"Then how can we _trust_ the UNTC?" He replied quietly, his voice turning harsher and harsher with every word. "If one of its commissioners can do this, then what about the rest of them? How can something this _big_ go utterly unnoticed by everyone?"

"The Remnant have always worked in the shadows," Sam said. "For the last ten years we have been having to deal with them, give chase to them, and every time we find ourselves chasing rumours and ghosts. They never leave a trace tangible enough for us to find out who they are, or why they want to topple us so badly-"

"You haven't answered Frank's question, Sam," Diego interrupted.

Sam swivelled, her eyes bright as she met the sabre's own.

"True enough...fine. If you can't trust the UNTC, then at least trust in us," She stated. "Terry, Charlie, Nigel, James and me. Because _we_ are on your side, even if you think everyone else isn't...They saved us too, Diego,"

For the first time in the entire discourse, Manny saw tears well up in Sam's eyes.

"They saved _us_ too..." She continued, her tone infused with anger. "And I would want nothing more than to make these bastards _pay _for what they did to them. In the twenty six years I've been the secretary general of the UNTC, nothing like this has ever happened. The game has changed for us too."

Manny darted his eyes across the room, meeting the same look in Frank's, Diego's, Ellie's - even Sid's and Mark's – eyes: one of total confusion.

"Wait," He said aloud, shifting as much as his daughter's slumbering weight would allow. "How long did you say you have been in charge for?"

Sam gave him a weak smile, one that did not quite reach her eyes.

"Twenty-six years," She replied. "Ever since the Paris Accords were signed by all UN member nations in twenty thirty-eight, which brought the UNTC into existence."

"Yeah, right," Frank grunted. "You don't look a day older than you did at Fort Halstead."

Manny opened his mouth, determined to inquire further about Sam - how _young _she looked, given her implied age - but, as he began to talk, Buck's voice boomed out.

"Getting a bit off topic, aren't we? We ain't 'ere to discuss beauty tips, boys."

"Right, right," Manny replied, nodding as much as he could without awaking Peaches. "Back to the whole trust thing..."

He paused. Aware as he was that all eyes had settled on him, he took the opportunity to look everyone in the face; from Mark's bright eyed attentiveness and Sid's mildly bored expression to Frank's wearied gaze, he could sense - or thought he could sense - a similar feeling exuding from the whole herd.

"I..." He began, locking his sight onto Sam. "I can't speak for anyone else here, but I trust you. You, James, Nigel, Charlie...even _Terry..._we went through too much together for us to _not_ trust you...but for now, we will only work with the five of you: at least until we know the UNTC can be trusted."

Sam smiled warmly, the tension in her body easing almost instantly.

"That's good enough for us," She stated, shifting her attention across the room. "What about the rest of you?"

"Do you even need to ask?" Diego replied, smiling slightly.

"You may be far off, but yer all still a part of this 'erd," Buck stated plainly. "An' you 'aven't given us any reason not to trust ya."

"We all trust you here, Sam," Mark, till then silent, said. "And we know you're on our side!"

Manny, smiling at the young sabre, added his assent to the mass of agreements that flooded the room. Hudson moved forward, sharing a grin with Sam as he did so.

"There is a reason for our testing of these waters," The wolf stated, his grin settling down into a satisfied smirk. "Since we are seeking an...alliance, with yourselves."

"An _alliance?"_ Manny blinked in surprise, realising it was his voice that he heard resounding.

"Why do you want an alliance with _us_?" Frank chipped in, confusion registering in his tone.

"Well," Hudson said, coughing several times to clear his throat. "As it is, the twelve of you have become...well...erm..."

"You are legends," Sam said bluntly. "Some of the biggest myths and stories passed down to us as part of almost every tradition have been about _you_. Whenever the dawn of civilisation is mentioned, so are the Legends of the Twelve Guardians. Every religion has laid claim to you, as has every society and every great leader. Some deny you ever existed while others believe you to be real, but it does not change the fact that you are one of our oldest, and most enduring, myths."

Manny closed his eyes, willing himself to remain calm. It had hurt that so many people in _his time _had forgotten that the other herd had saved them, letalone hearing they had been forgotten to history as well. A part of him had hoped that - _somehow _- they would have been remembered too.

But, as Sam's words hit him, he realised it wouldn't.

_Twenty thousand years later, and still we're regarded as the heroes, _he thought acridly.

"It's not fair," He grumbled, his voice so quiet only Ellie could hear. "We didn't save anyone at Halstead Pass, _they_ did. The other herd did."

"Why are you telling us this?" Frank asked, unaware of Manny's misgivings. "And why are you referring to us as _myths_?"

"Because we need to keep it that way," Sam replied. "Your existence is a secret. If anyone caught wind of the fact that the Twelve Guardians are in fact _more _than mere myth then we cannot guarantee your safety. In short, we need you to refrain from making any impromptu trips to the future; only with our express permission can you travel to any point beyond this time-"

"But the Remnant know we exist," Frank said quickly, cutting her off. "And they know where we are."

Sam held up her hands,

"True enough," She admitted. "But billions of others don't. And if there's a chance we need to call you forward, bring you to our time, then it would be much, _much _safer if people didn't know who you are. It only takes one fanatic to do damage, and the last thing we need is the image of a dead Guardian scrawled across every newspaper and social network. Hence we need to keep you _here. _In this time. And _secret._"

Diego let out a chuckle,

"Easy enough," He replied. "Isn't like we have a spare time machine lying around."

Manny shifted forward, eyeing Hudson and Sam intently, noticing the knowing smiles they exchanged.

"Or do we?" He asked pointedly, his eyes focussed on Sam's.

She checked her watch and smiled broadly at him,

"Well..."

It was then he heard it: faint whispers on the wind, as if being carried upon it. Manny recognised them: _ghost voices_.

Keen on keeping his sight, he clamped his eyes shut while trying as fast as he could to cover Ellie's eyes with his trunk. Through his eyelids he saw a brilliant flash of light even as his ears were filled with the shocked cries of his herd.

When he opened his eyes, his jaw hung slack, and he found himself simply staring, unsure of what to make of the sight before him.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank's senses were assaulted by blinding light.

He chided himself, realising he should have responded faster when he heard the ghostly voices on the air.

But he didn't, and now his eyes ached from the brilliance of the light.

He blinked the retinal echoes away, eventually seeing several blobs of colours. Blink by blink, he saw it: helicopters - dozens of them - with cables sprawling out of them, attached to a massive device. At the centre of which was a disc...

"Good God," He exclaimed. "That's a time machine!"

Sam grinned, clasping her hand on Hudson's shoulder as she did so.

"Not just any time machine," She said. "But one that played a very big part in our lives! But Fort Halstead is a little far for convenience, so the Commission voted to move it here."

"Thanks for asking us about it," Manny remarked dryly. "And where exactly are we supposed to put it?"

"We have a couple of spots in consideration," Sam replied, shrugging slightly. "But the Commission - and myself - would prefer that you had at least one, so that we can continue and maintain our alliance easily. Besides, someone from this valley already gave us permission."

Frank felt Manny's eyes boring into him accusingly. He shifted to stare at him, shrugging in the same way his sister did.

"Well don't look at me," He said defensively. "I had no idea that this was happening!"

Manny blinked at the human in confusion,

"Well, if you didn't, and I didn't...who did?" He quizzed.

Frank shared a knowing smile with Diego, enjoying the growing look of frustration on the mammoth's face.

"What are you grinning so idiotically about?" Manny demanded.

"Have a wild guess, Manny, which elder of the village - perhaps a wise, old elder - who'd have the right to say yes to something like this," Diego replied patronisingly. "I'll give you three guesses."

He slumped.

"I'm going to kill Keira." He grumbled.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

For hours, Manny searched for the village's elder, seeking her out amongst the hundreds of technicians and thousands of inhabitants.

_How does an antelope hide this well? _He asked himself as all of his efforts turned up nothing.

The sun hung low in the sky before Manny - after more hours than he would like to admit - finally found her beside the side of the pool. Having stomped about for most of the day, Manny was unwilling to move; the air was so quiet, the leaves so still, the elder so peaceful.

As quietly as he could, he walked up to her, hoping he wouldn't be noticed...

"Sam told me you would be coming," She said, her voice positively loud in such a silent place.

He couldn't help but smile,

"Somehow I knew you'd make friends with her," He replied. Having broken the silence, he saw no need to tip-toe; the water rippled as he plonked himself beside her. "If you knew I was looking for you, why didn't come and look for me?"

She looked at him, her eyes full of humour,

"And stop you from having all that time to be all huffy and puffy?" She said, feigning shock. "I would never be so cruel as to deny you your chief pleasure in life."

He looked at her flatly,

"My friend is a tiger," He added playfully. "I could get him to _eat_ you."

"And mine is the most powerful person in all of history," She replied lightly. "I could get her to _erase_ you."

He blinked in surprise. He knew they were joking about the threats, but he knew Keira well enough to know she meant the first half.

"You and Sam?" He asked mutedly. "_Actually_ friends? That was _quick_."

She chuckled in such a way that he knew instantly he was wrong.

"Oh, my dear Manny," She said, smiling widely. "We have spoken almost every day for the last six months. It is hard not to see someone daily and _not_ become friends with them."

"She hasn't been here _at all_ in the last six months." He retorted.

"Oh, but she has; she just couldn't resist seeing how we were doing," She replied. "And she wanted to see you all, but she told me that there are rules regarding her dealings with the Guardians," She looked him squarely in the eyes, her smile fading slightly. "In order for history to take its course, there are some periods of your history you have to work out alone, with only a little outside help."

He didn't know why, but Keira's statement stung; regardless of how huffy he seemed on the outside, the thought that people much more powerful than he ever could be were watching over him and his herd was comforting.

_There are some things you have to work out alone._

"So what have you and Sam talked about?" He said, affecting as light a tone as possible.

She nodded, sensing the unsubtle change of topic.

"Oh, many things," She replied. "Her time and its wonders, our time and ours. How this village is the dawn of something new in the world..."

He sat still, mulling over what she had said.

"_New_?" He quizzed, suddenly worried that he ought to know the answer.

"We start to build houses, schools and streets - things we could not imagine before the humans came - and you think the old order remains?" She asked, evidently amused. "My dear Manny, _everything_ has begun to change. In fact, Sam mentioned some weeks ago - about the same time I gave permission for the time machine, if I recall correctly - about some skill they mean to teach us... something that will guarantee our survival, she says, even in the coldest winters. Something called 'agri-culture.'"

"What is that?" He asked, noting mentally her admission; _she is the blame for the gigantic thing now blocking my view, _he thought.

"I have no idea," She chuckled. "But it sounds fascinating, wouldn't you agree?"

He nodded slightly, giving her a smile. Yet even then, his head resounded with her previous words:

_Some things you have to work out alone._

The sudden presence of a hoof on his leg snapped him out of his thoughts, only to find himself looking deeply into Keira's eyes.

"Do not be troubled that Sam cannot always be there for you," She stated. "Just know that it is for your own good - and theirs."

"I wasn't troubled!" He said, even as he thought _how are you reading my mind?_

"She will help you when she can, but sometimes you must do so on your own, lest history turn out differently. And, were that to happen, then Sam might not even be there at all. It is hard to commune with the past, when doing so risks your present and your future. The village is _our _village, and was _ours _to build. Granted, they gave us what we needed, but nothing more. We were destined to build it ourselves, to learn how, so that we can build other villages in the future." She replied.

"_Other_ villages?" He said weakly, his confusion deepening.

She chuckled heartily,

"They have a word for what is beginning here," She said. "A funny word, I'll admit, but it has a ring to it; they call this the dawn of 'civilisation'. And one day we'll be showing others how to do it too, in the Bredelands."

He sat bolt upright, memories of a blurred, alcohol sodden night returning to him. He couldn't believe he had utterly forgotten about the Bredelands - his _home - _for almost half a year.

Yet he had.

_The Bredelands' borders are just a week away, _he thought, feel his face flush with sudden shame at forgetting his homelands for so long. _I could go and visit..._

"You cannot go to the Bredelands, Manny," Keira said sternly. "Not until the time is right."

"How can you read my mind?" He demanded. It took him a moment to realise he had spoken aloud what he had meant to think, and thought what he meant to say.

_Smooth, Manny,_ he chided himself.

"And why can't I go?"

She lifted her hoof, an enigmatic smile settling on her face.

"One question at a time," She replied. "First, it's not so much reading your mind as reading your face; everything you think is always clear to see there. Second, Sam has made it clear that some things within the Bredelands are not ready for you yet...some things cannot be forced, Manny. In time, you will know when it is right to go. But not yet. _Not yet_."

He tore his eyes away from Keira's as he let out a long, aggravated sigh, fixing his gaze on the still waters before him.

"Well that's just great," He grumbled. "So we can't go anywhere near Porcupine Gorge until some mystical '_right time_.' What are we supposed to do till then? _Sit_?"

She shrugged,

"Perhaps," She remarked, smiling all the wider. "I'm not a fortune teller, I'll have you know."

Manny snorted.

"Coulda fooled me." He murmured.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Wrench! I need a wrench over here!"

Waist deep in the machine, Frank waited patiently, hand extended, hoping someone could hear him. Moments later, something heavy appeared in his hands. He let out the breath he had been holding in.

"Thank you!" He shouted out as he continued with his work.

He couldn't resist; even though his hands had been covered in callouses for six months from construction, as soon as he saw the machine lowered into place, he knew he had to help get it running again. Technology, gadgetry, electronics...they called to him.

_And besides, _he reasoned with himself, _if this thing is going to be sitting in your valley, it's best to know how it works._

"How's it going in there?" A muffled voice asked him.

Snapped out of his thoughts – yet continuing to work – he tightened a screw as he replied,

"A few conduits, circuits and so on out of place - minor, considering it was lugged through space and time - but she's almost good to go!"

"That's good," The voice replied - unmistakably Sam's. "Are you able to get out?"

"Just...one...last..." He groaned, exerting every last ounce of strength he had. Finally, the wrench shifted; the bolt was tightly screwed. "Done! I'm coming out."

With all the grace of a flopping fish, he wheedled his way into the open air. Having shaken free of his impromptu prison, he stretched, only then noting how greasy, dishevelled and...disgusting...he felt as his skin met the fresh coolness of the evening's air. In the corner of his eye, he saw Sam's smirk all too clearly.

"How you manage to get this dirty in such a short space of time is...impressive," She said, amusement plastered on her face.

He shrugged, brushing off what little he could from his jacket.

"It's a rare skill, I'll admit," He remarked, "but I assume you didn't drag me out just to mock me?"

She checked her watch and smiled.

"I have a present for you."

He looked at her. She had nothing in her hands, and nothing nearby; several unsubtle scans of his surroundings confirmed it. In the end, he gave up, and simply stared at her.

"Ah...where, exactly?" He ventured.

She didn't answer immediately, merely giving him the mischievous smile he had long since learned to associate with the approach of something unpleasant.

"It should be coming soon," She replied, taking several steps back, "Any second now."

He looked at her as if she were mad. He craned his neck, looking for a trace something coming through time.

He could hear no ghost voices on the winds; there was no indication that something - _anything - _was arriving, through time _or_ space.

He shot a smirk at his sister, her features still comfortably confident.

"Well!" He said, exaggerating his words. "And how long should we wai-"

Before he could finish the sentence, he crashed to the floor, blinded by white light. Through the confusion, he heard the distinct, unmistakeable noise of tyres screeching to a halt.

Followed by a more unwelcomely loud noise,

"YEAH!" Terry yelled ecstatically. "I gotta get us one of these, Sammy; ain't fair these prehistory hotshots get the coolest toys."

"It's not feeling so cool from here," Frank groaned, still laying perfectly still on the floor.

"Ah get over it, boss! Ain't like yer dead or nothin," Terry replied.

"Charmed, as always, Terry," he replied flatly.

He eased his eyes open, shielding his gaze from the painful light. The blur of a hand hung above him, which he gladly took, hoping the person would gently lift him to his feet.

The yank up - and accompanying shocked pain in his shoulder - disabused him of such grateful notions.

Once more on his feet, he blinked until his vision returned. At first, all he saw were blurs, focussing slowly into Sam, Terry, the valley and-

"What?" He exclaimed, attention finally falling on the object in front of him.

At first, he thought it was just an ordinary truck: wheels, windows, etc. He traced his hand across it, trying to figure out why it felt familiar. In the corner of his eye, he saw both Sam and Terry sharing amused - even excited - glances.

"She took quite a beating, after all the stunts you pulled in her," Sam stated. "Took a good few months - and a fair few strings pulled - to get the repairs completed."

He froze, suddenly recognising it for what it was. The truck that had carried him hundreds of miles, survived every fall and battle.

The truck that had saved their lives by somehow still _working, _even when it shouldn't have.

He spun round, eyes wide in shock.

"H-ho, wh-whe," He stuttered. "Wh-Wha?"

Sam grinned,

"Thought you'd like it."

He smiled, attention turned back to the truck, eyes darting everywhere, trying to take it all in.

"Made some improvements, too," Terry added. "No gun on the back, cos lets face it, ain't like ya need it. Same fusion engine, reinforced chassis, bullet proof glass-"

"And an in-built time machine." Sam added.

Frank's jaw hung slack, the words seemingly lingering in the air.

_An in-built time machine, _he repeated to himself.

Unknowingly, his eyes trailed away from the truck, from Sam and Terry, back to the machine he had just been working on. Towering over him, its visage a mass of tubes, plates and various other ungainly things, things even the builders of the device couldn't miniaturise.

He stifled the urge to laugh; it seemed ludicrous to him.

"You gonna keep standing there thinkin' its all a buncha' crap, or are you gonna do the sciency thing and test it out?" Terry quizzed.

Frank shot him a dubious smirk as he settled into the driver's seat, confident it wouldn't work.

"Good evening, Frank."

The voice, distinctly male, caught him utterly off guard. Jumping from surprise, he slammed his head into the ceiling.

"Goddammit!" He exclaimed.

"My apologies, I didn't mean to shock you."

Rubbing his aching head, his gaze fixed upon the central console, convinced the voice had come from it.

"Was that you?" He asked ambivalently.

"Of course," The console replied. "Who else could it be? Unless you expect a midget to pop out of me anytime now?"

"Right," He murmured sarcastically. "That's just brilliant." He glanced at Terry and Sam. "_Thank you _for giving me a sarcastic truck."

"I have a name, you know," The truck replied. Frank blinked; the truck's voice almost sounded..._hurt._

"A-and that would be?" He stammered.

"Ian," the truck said calmly.

Frank merely stared.

"Ian?"

"Correct, sir. Ian. It stands for Integrated Autonomous Network...but Ian will suffice."

All he could do was gawp at Sam.

"You give us a sentient truck...and you called it _Ian?_" He said incredulously.

Sam chuckled.

"The technology was already there," she stated. "Except it was slaved to the network of the bases in this era...which, when we got here, wasn't exactly _functioning_ like it was supposed to, what with years of wear and tear_. _All we've done to it is patch it up and, well, switched it _on_. It isn't fully sentient, just well-programmed to make it seem like it._"_

Frank blinked, trying to say something. Anything at all.

_How about the sort-of-but-not-quite sentient thing?_ He thought.

"So how'd you fix it?" Frank queried, realising as soon as he said it how utterly dumb it was.

"We _un-slaved _it, moron," Terry retorted, smiling as he did so. "Call yerself a scientist?"

As he sat there, trying to absorb all the information he had suddenly been given, he remembered that the truck _had _spoken. But its voice was...it was...

"Female." Frank said aloud.

"Come again?" Sam said.

He winced as he realised he had said that _aloud._

"The truck...ah...Ian..._did _speak. But it was female."

"I have a variety of voice settings," Ian - much to Frank's discomfit - replied in the female voice he remembered, before promptly switching back to a male voice. "Including the setting you recall. Though I do feel a male voice suits a name like Ian a little better, do you not agree?"

Frank remained utterly still. He wondered what he had eaten or drunk, whether he was hallucinating, whether he was still sane at all...

Or whether he lived in a world that made no sense anymore, at least not to him.

_You're best friends are animals that can talk, _his brain reminded him, _why are you expecting anything else to make sense?_

He took one last glance at Sam and Terry, knowing full well a smirk was growing on his face.

"So...Ian...what else can you do?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Manny watched as the setting sun bathed the village - and its newly arrived time machine - in a warm glow. He couldn't help but shake his head at the..._oddness_...of such a sight. In the corner of his eye, he saw Peaches cuddled up against Ellie, fast asleep. He looked at Ellie, sharing a smile with her.

"Crazy day, huh?" Ellie remarked.

"Yeah," Manny replied. "I miss the _normal_ days...ya know, when bloodthirsty sabres were hunting us down and everyone was trying to kill us."

"Ah, the good ol' days."

Both he and Ellie glanced up at Buck, slumped on top of a branch above them. The weasel didn't seem to notice the incredulous looks directed his way.

"I 'ave to say, chaps, you know 'ow to show a weasel a good time!" Buck exclaimed. "Ain't 'ad an adventure like that in, well, eva!"

"You could say that again!"

Yet again, Manny and Ellie turned, seeing the rest of the herd - except Frank, and including Hudson - join them. He shot a dubious glance at Ellie, who merely shrugged in return.

"Any reason why you've all suddenly come at once?" Manny quizzed.

"Frank told us to," Diego replied casually. "Said there's something we needed to see...and he was _very _specific about where we needed to see it."

He scanned his surroundings, confident in the certainty that Frank - and whatever he wanted them to see - was distinctly _not _in sight. He shot one last dubious look at Diego for good measure as he reached for his radio.

"Frank, this is Manny," He murmured into it. "What are you doing?"

_"Frank here, is everyone with you?"_

"Yeah, about that," Manny replied. "Any reason for this little get together you have going on here?"

_"You'll see soon enough."_

He rolled his eyes,

"Why am I not surprised that _explaining_ _can_ _wait_?"

_"I will explain, by showing 'll see in a few seconds."_

With Frank no where to be seen, Manny suddenly realised. As he listened, sure enough, he could hear whispering on the wind...

"Close your eyes NOW!" He shouted to the others as he clamped his firmly shut.

Sure enough, he could see the flash of light through his eyelids. But then he heard the sound he had come to associate with a truck stopping, and failing entirely.

Eye wide open, he saw a truck screeching to a halt, its rear swerving towards them. With no time to move, all he could do was stand there - and hope the brakes were strong enough.

With Sid's screaming filling his ears, he knew not every member thought the same.

He braced himself, watching the truck draw near, its speed slowing drastically as it did so. To his relief, it juddered to a halt, missing them by a few feet.

He turned to check on the herd, finding himself gazing upon Sid, fainted on the floor. He couldn't help but grin.

"The more things change," He murmured.

"The more they stay the same!" Frank added, jumping excitedly out of the truck, joined briskly by Sam and Terry.

Manny scanned Frank and the others, noting nothing distinctly out of place on their persons - nothing that could be something worth showing. Slowly, he turned his attention to the truck, realising he had been looking at it all along.

He couldn't help but feel underwhelmed.

"_This _is what you got us all together to see?" He remarked.

Frank grinned, making wild gestures that encompassed the truck.

"It's good, ay!"

"It's a truck," Manny replied flatly. "Like all the others we've seen."

"Ah, but its not just _a_ truck," Frank stating, now face to face with the mammoth, still grinning like an idiot. "It's _the _truck: the one Diego, Buck, Sid and myself put through hell and back. Now fully repaired and - more importantly - _ours."_

Manny blinked.

"Ours?" He repeated. "As in, we keep it, get to use it, our own truck, ours?"

"No," Frank replied sarcastically. "I mean the _other _'ours': you know, the one where we keep it for only a week and then it dissipates into fairy dust. _Yes, ours_!"

"Easy _James,_" Manny retorted. "I was only asking!"

Without even realising it, Manny found himself grinning. He looked on as Ben and Mark jumped into the back of the truck, the possums swinging in and out of the windows. He looked back at Frank, Diego and Buck, knowing exactly what looked they all held in their eyes. He let out a chuckle.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Frank wanted to drive. A truck - _their truck -_ now in their possession once more, he cast his eye to the horizon. He knew Manny could see it.

He knew Manny, by now, would understand.

"Well, enjoy yourselves," The mammoth stated. "And be back by morning; we still need to finish the school."

Frank laughed,

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," He replied. "See you all in the morning!"

Giving Claire a kiss, he prepared to set off with the boys.

_Terry, Sam, James? _He thought.

He spun round, moved over to his sister and gave her a hug.

"Thank you," He murmured. "For everything."

She hugged him back fiercely.

"It's what you do in a herd," she whispered back.

Now standing separate, he could see the tears of joy in her eyes.

"You look out for one another," He finished, hand extended to Terry, who took it firmly.

"S'bin a honour, boss," He said. "Do us a favour: don't get yourselves killed, cos I ain't gonna be happy cleaning up that mess."

"I'll try," Frank replied as he shook James' paw. "I guess this is the end of the adventure then."

"Not the end," Hudson said. "More beginning than anything."

He stood back, taking a good look at all three of them, and smiled.

"Keep safe," He murmured. "All of you. That's an order."

"Can't order a general around, _cap,_" Terry replied. "But yes sir."

"Oi Frank! We going or not?" Buck called out of the truck window.

He ran towards the truck, taking one last sweeping look of his surroundings as he got into the truck. It was then that it struck him. Diego, in the passenger seat beside him, stared at him.

"What are you smiling about, buddy?" The sabre asked.

Frank placed his hand on the sabre's shoulder, gripping it gently.

"It's just...seven travellers, far from home and lost to their time..." He paused, quickly wiping a tear away. "Through all we've been, now I'm certain of something."

"That being?" Diego quizzed.

"We aren't far from home," Frank replied. "We _found _our home."

Diego returned his smile,

"Perhaps being lost in time isn't so bad then."

"Definitely." Frank beamed.

"So, where are we going?" Buck called out from the back.

He shifted the car into gear, placed his hands on the steering wheel, and stared out the window at the setting sun. Beyond, in his mind's eye, he saw nothing but open plains, hills, mountains, seas, entire worlds...

_Freedom, _he thought. _Freedom, at long last._

"The horizon," He replied. "And beyond."

As they drove away, he saw Manny, Ellie, Claire, Terry, Hudson and Sam - along with much of the village, waving at them. Driving into the sunset, he thought on the adventures his herd had had together, and the ones to come. He thought of the village they were building, the future that waited for them.

_Their _future together: humans and animals working together.

_Freedom, _he thought once more.

_Freedom at last._

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

**The End**

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

**It is done. Well folks and folkettes, I hope you have enjoyed this yarn I have spun, it has been a blast :). And now, at long last, this story is finished.**

**Let me know what you think about the chapter, or the story, by clicking on the review button below!**

**Till Yesterday's Child is published, this is Trev signing out; peace out everyone, have a great week.**

**Cheerio!**


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